The Crimson Sentinels
by Winterzforgotten
Summary: Prologue to The Lords of the Night Part 1 Through hard work and dedication, sacrifices and training, Kazuki must find the courage to overcome the difficulties of being the son of a high ranking demon lord. Learning about oneself and living in the shadow of his family, Kazuki faces one of the greatest challenges of all, how to stay true to his heart and not lose to the threat that d
1. Chapter 1 Kazuki

Chapter One

Kazuki

He sat beside the stream watching the koi lazily swim through the crystal water, small bubbles breaking the surface in a slow popping motion. This was one of those mornings where he could sit back and reflect on things peacefully, without all the commotion of his parents and siblings. Glancing down at his new sword, he fingered the edge carefully as he contemplated the next step in his life. Later on that day, he had been requested to arrive at the barracks house to meet the captain of the guard, and take his rightful place in the ranks, just as his father had done, and his father's father before him.

Shaking his head, he sighed. If truth be told, all he wanted to do was to live his life in peace, without worrying about having to fight or protect anyone. Just that simple existence of starting a family, having young of his own, but that was not the course his father had set out for him.

All five of his brothers were guards, his older sister was a handmaid in the royal quarters and his youngest sister was following his mother's steps of being a seamstress. The way his mother could weave cloth together in such quick succession usually left him breathless. The details of the stitching were precise and elegant that the princess herself usually requested her kimonos made personally by his mother. He often found himself watching her in the evenings while she stitched the intricate designs on kimono and haori for the clan.

Akiara, his younger sister, was just as skilled as their mother if not more so after she had reached her coming of age day and taken on a portion of their mother's inner spirit. Kazuki wasn't that much older than she was, only a year separating them, but he was destined to follow his father's footsteps. His eldest brother, Manami had already taken on station with the home guard, a secure secret group of guards who were in charge of protecting the royal family. Since his brother had taken station with that particular group, he had noticed a definite change in Manami's attitude. It had gone from the carefree jovial nature to a more serious and stoic one. He had been charged with overlooking the safety and protection of Lord Genjiro's son, Lord Chijimatsu.

Hisashi on the other hand, his second oldest brother, rarely came home or even conversed with the family, being a complete opposite of how he had been before he had joined the Home guard. More recently, Hisashi had not even bothered to visit, only ever being seen now when he was watching over Lord Genjiro. They had never been close due to the age difference between them. About fifty years separated Manami and Hisashi and five hundred years separated them from Kazuki himself.

Lifting his head to stare at the brilliant blue sky, he squinted against the bright sun that shone down, blanketing the area he was sitting in. Several of the clans young played across the river from where he sat and the clans caretaker was keeping a close eye on the playful group. With a final sigh, Kazuki pushed to his feet and stretched.

It had only been a year since he had first woken his inner spirit. There had been no conversation between them, not just that, but he didn't even know his spirit name. He silently wondered if that was how it was for everyone.

_'___Pfft.' __A soft voice said.

Kazuki jerked and glanced around him curiously.

_'___In your head.' __Came that soft amused voice again.

Kazuki raised a single brow and secretly smiled to himself. Had he spurred his spirit into talking merely by thought? "Well, this is a surprise." He said, the excitement at finally being able to talk to his inner self filling him.

_'___You don't have to speak out loud for me to hear you.'__

_'___So just think the words?' __Kazuki questioned as he turned to go to the barracks house.

_'___Pretty much.'__

_'___So? Where have you been?' __He asked his inner spirit curiously.

_'___Here. Watching.'__

_'___But not saying anything? Why?' __Kazuki wondered as he rounded the side of a small hut.

_'___Did I have reason to say anything up until now?' __His inner spirit questioned in amusement.

Kazuki shook his head, feeling irritation fill him as it had done on so many occasions when having to deal with his siblings. The barracks house came into sight as he crested the grassy hill and he glanced down at the training rings that held many guards in training. He stood there for several long minutes, watching them wield weapons, some performing defensive maneuvers, others further away focusing their training on their abilities.

He turned his head slightly when he heard someone approach but he remained silent. Another male appeared beside him and stopped to stare at the large barracks house that held every defense their clan would ever need. The one beside him released a soft whistle as he watched in amazement.

"Impressive." The male whispered. "Makes me a little nervous though."

Kazuki turned his head and stared. "Oh?"

"I have no experience with swordplay. I think I am a little out of my league." The male shivered. "My name's Ose."

Kazuki inclined his head. "Kazuki." He turned his gaze once more to the training rings and also felt a little nervousness fill him as he saw how agile and flexible those training were. _'___So, any tips?'__

_'___Don't get hit with the sharp end?' __His inner spirit supplied.

Kazuki snorted. _'___Helpful, thanks.' __He swore he could feel his inner spirit grin widely.

_'___Anytime.'__

Shaking his head, Kazuki started on down the hill, and the other male fell into step behind him. As they approached, Kazuki felt a slight shudder fill him when his eyes fell onto the large beast of a male shouting instruction to those wielding the weapons. When his gold eyes fell on him, Kazuki gulped._ '___Seriously, do you have anything that might help me out?'__

_'___Such as?'__

Kazuki groaned softly.

_'___Oh, stop being so grouchy. You are just like your grandfather.' __His inner spirit chuckled. _'___Focus on the skills you know. You already know how to hold a sword, your father trained you for years before you woke me. As for your abilities, I will supply them when they are needed.'__

_'___I don't want to humiliate myself or dishonor my family.' __Kazuki said softly.

_'___You won't.'__

_'___Do you have a name?' __Kazuki questioned as he stepped through the large barracks doors that looked more like stone slabs rather than actual doors.

_'___I do.' __

Kazuki paused just inside the door while he waited for his inner spirit to continue. When he didn't, Kazuki lifted a brow curiously. _'___Well?'__

_'___What?'__

_'___What is your name?'__

The inner voice snickered. _'___Taizo.'__

_'___Good grief.' __Kazuki grunted, proceeding through the wide room, glancing left and right as he passed bed after bed. Near the end of the large room was a large cloth covering that indicated the insignia of the captain of the guard. Taking a deep breath, he rapped softly on the wooden frame and a deep voice echoed to enter.

Kazuki pushed the cloth aside and bowed at the lone male that sat at the knee-high wooden desk. Ose entered behind him and followed in his own bow.

The male glanced up and speculated them for several long minutes before he waved his hand for them to sit at the pillows on the right side of his desk. "I trust you both have come for training and station within the guards?"

"Yes," Kazuki said.

The male nodded and pulled a scroll from a pile beside him. Hovering his writing tool above the inkwell, he glanced at them. "Names?"

"Kazuki, son of Okimoto." Kazuki lowered himself so that his nose almost touched the wooden floor.

"Ose, son of Einosuke." Ose also followed Kazuki in bowing.

The male wrote down the names and nodded. "Once you are appointed a trainer, you will have years to learn the craft. There will be long strenuous days of training defensive tactics, scouting missions, tracking, wielding various weapons and then practicing how to merge with the shadows. Once you have completed the various sections of training, you will then be matched with the guard based on your skill level."

The male stood up and glanced out the window that gave him a perfect view of the training rings. "My name is Seitarou, I am the captain of the guard. I am also commander to the Crimson Sentinels. There are other factions that you will be paired with once we see what your skills are. Remember my name and my second in command, Shinpachi."

Ose released a gasp when his eyes fell onto a male who walked out of the shadows casually.

Kazuki blinked in shock and surprise. _'___How?' __He breathed in his head.

_'___That one is a shadow walker.' __Taizo smiled as he stared at the figure who emerged out of the dark corner.

Seitarou turned and faced the two kneeling on the pillows and he crossed his arms over his armored chest. "Shinpachi will be the one training you on how to use the shadows to your advantage. In order for you to sneak up on an enemy, you must be able to use what is close to you. He is the captain of the Shadow Guard."

Ose nodded his head the nervousness rising with each passing second.

"Aori is captain of the Night Watch and he will train you how to use various weapons and you will perfect one. Perhaps more if you are skilled. If you choose to stay at the barracks, futons will be provided for you. If you decide to return home, be sure you are not late for your training in the morning." Seitarou continued. His head turned to the cloth covering and he called entrance to the knock.

Three young males entered and behind them a single female.

Turning his head to Kazuki and Ose, he waved them to exit. He then turned to the newcomers and started his speech all over again.

Ose slouched against the wall once the cloth covering fell over the doorway and breathed a sigh of relief. "If I wasn't nervous before, I certainly am now."

Kazuki rolled his eyes. He had felt Ose's discomfort inside and he snorted. "I think you let everyone know just how nervous you were."

Ose glanced at the tall lithe being beside him and took in the deep bluish-purple markings on the face and the pristine haori and hakama. "You're Lord Okimoto's son." He uttered softly. "Why would you want to be a guard?"

Kazuki raised a brow. "What makes you think I had a choice?"

"Fair enough." Ose stood up fully, but still, he was about a head shorter than the young male.

Kazuki noticed a bit of deflation on the other male's face and winced slightly at his short outburst. It really wasn't Ose's fault for his foul mood, in fact, it had been his other brother who had sent him down this path earlier that morning before he had retreated to the stream to watch the koi. Kihachi had burst into his room and flipped the futon over, dumping him unceremoniously in a heap on the hardwood floor.

The next minute his father had charged into the room and pulled Kihachi out by his ear. That had improved his mood slightly until Okimoto had started shouting.

"Sorry," Kazuki mumbled under his breath. "You are not responsible for my foul mood, I should not take it out on you."

Ose grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "It's alright. I'm sort of used to it."

They walked out of the barracks and watched the other students speaking among themselves, some fingering their weapons eagerly, others casually and nonchalantly leaning against the fence, while they waited for their instructor to begin.

Kazuki noticed Ose glance around and then walk over to the pile of weapons that were placed neatly in a pile and he gripped the hilt of one of the swords. As the metal shifted, something caught his eye and he walked over to dig it out with great curiosity. Lifting it, he glanced at the long ebony handle and the sharp spear-like tip. It was long and it felt extremely nice in his hand.

Shifting it in his grip, he tested the weight and found that he rather liked the feel of the spear, over the sword at his waist. He silently wondered if he would have a choice for the first sparring weapon as the instructor would test their current skills and assign lessons based on that skill.

_'___Should you not first use a weapon you are familiar with, rather than one you are not?' __His inner spirit muttered softy.

_'___Indeed.' __Kazuki said as he placed the spear back in the large pile. _'___I have used spears before though.'__

_'___Yes but your skill with the sword is far greater than that of the spear.' __Taizo snorted.

Kazuki turned around immediately when the instructor called out. He was a burly male with long silver-blonde hair bound up in a high topknot and his gold eyes demanded attention. They were the same eyes he had seen earlier when he had entered the barracks and he shivered again.

"Gather around." The male he assumed was Aori called out and waited while the group of twenty moved closer. "For your first lesson, I wish to see how much training you have gotten over the years. I will then split the groups into sections depending on your skill level."

Kazuki glanced around at the others and he realized that he was the youngest of the group and he gulped. He was tall and lithe, and his father had trained him as hard as he had Manami and his brother's, but Kazuki was somewhat awkward with his height difference. He was also two years earlier for guard training than any of his siblings had been.

_'___Focus.' __Taizo hissed.

_'___Right.' __Kazuki snapped his attention back to the large male who was giving out match assignments.

For several minutes, Kazuki watched the groups pair up and sighed when he was once again the last to be matched up. He was paired with a shorter male who was heavily built. Shaking his head, he walked over to the male and speculated him intently. One of his skills was to see what the other opponent was capable of in terms of abilities and stances. He supposed he was lucky with his inner spirit having a stronger sense of that.

Even though this male was heavily built from years of training, Kazuki realized that he was nowhere near his skill when it came to swordplay. Even his youngest sister Akiara would be able to disarm this one.

Shaking his head, Kazuki turned to watch the first groups take on their instruction as the teacher walked along the edge staring or shouting out mistakes he noticed. _'___Was I paired with one weaker because the instructor has no idea that I am well trained? Or because I am being mocked?'__

_'___Does the reason matter?' __Taizo questioned.

_'___Sort of.' __Kazuki furrowed his brow as he watched the other skilled fighters swing and dodge against their opponents. He leaned against the fence and crossed his arms over his chest.

He could hear his opponent speaking with another student a few feet away. "This is going to be so much fun."

"For you maybe. I have only been training for a year since I came of age."

"I heard that Lord Okimoto's son will be training with us." His burly opponent muttered.

"Seriously? Lord Kihachi's brother? Which one?"

The burly one shrugged. "I can't remember if it's Isami or Kazuki."

"Isami is the third year. So it must be Kazuki." Their eyes started scanning the group intently searching for him and Kazuki rolled his eyes.

Taizo snickered in his head. _'___Already have made a name for yourself without even trying.'__

_'___I haven't. My family has, I was just unfortunate enough to be born into it.' __Kazuki snorted. Most of the clan were not aware of his relation with Manami and he really wanted to keep it that way, not because his elder brother had done anything wrong, it was his reputation that everyone knew. Manami was fierce and not one to anger, should anyone figure out they were siblings, they might be too afraid to face him or injure him fearing Manami's wrath. His eldest brother was also an elder, over five hundred years older than the majority of the current students and their own parents. Lord Okimoto was one of the few who was from an ancient hereditary noble line. If Lord Genjiro or his son were to fall in battle with no heirs to take over, it would be up to one of the noble families to continue and keep the clan intact.

Kazuki kept watching the various groups as the day passed quickly. When the instructor turned to face the last few groups waiting for their turn, he waved them forward. "I have yet to see anything remarkable with this year's recruits. I surely hope you six will not disappoint me."

The students who were now off to the side sighed heavily grumbling softly to themselves. Ose waved at him and Kazuki snorted indignantly as he unsheathed his sword and spun it in his hand.

His opponent grinned and drew his own sword. "Names Tadaaki."

Kazuki grinned. "Kazuki."

Taadaki fumbled with his sword and it fell to the ground with a distinct reverb that caused a few on the outside of the ring to chuckle.

Taadaki bent over to grip his sword and Aori shook his head. "I do hope that you have a firm grip on your weapon. I would hate to see any of you disarmed due to negligence."

Taadaki glowered. Kazuki shook his head as even the instructor humiliated the trainee. Turning to his opponent he said softly. "Ignore it. Focus on our match."

_'___Ooo. I like you.' __His inner spirit grinned.

Taadaki nodded his head and gripped his sword tighter to prevent himself from dropping it. Kazuki watched as his inexperienced opponent tried to copy much of what he had seen in the training ring right before their match.

Kazuki shook his head. "Loosen your grip." He hissed. "Focus on the training you got prior to today."

Taadaki nodded his head again and started following Kazuki as they moved in a circle. Kazuki watched his opponent's feet just as his father had told him, and he narrowed his eyes just before he darted forward catching Taadaki off guard. Scrambling backward, he awkwardly lifted his sword to block the swing but blinked surprised when another sword met Kazuki's and Taadaki was shoved out of the way.

Gulping, the shorter youkai moved away as the instructor stood there facing Kazuki with his sword drawn. "Seeing as you are so well attuned to instruction, let's see how much knowledge you have."

Kazuki frowned. _'___Why does this always seem to happen to me? I try to help and it gets thrown back in my face.'__

_'___Don't think about that. Focus.' __Taizo urged.

_'___I can't fight someone who has had years of training.'__

_'___Oh? Why's that?'__

_'___It's disrespectful, and my skill is nowhere near theirs.' __Kazuki grumbled, watching the instructor's feet move slightly.

_'___Pfft. He challenged you. There is no disrespect in meeting that challenge head-on. Perhaps he wants to see how much you have learned.' __Taizo said.

The instructor moved so fast, Kazuki felt his mouth drop open in shock but shaking himself out of that momentarily stunned surprise, he pushed back off the balls of his feet and skidded backward. Lifting his sword, he slid to the side and then pushed forward.

Aori furrowed his brow and met Kazuki's sword with his own and stared into the gold eyes of his student. "Hold." He commented, feeling the strength put into the sword. Lowering his weapon he nodded his head. "You have had training."

Kazuki also lowered his sword and nodded his head. "I have."

"Who trained you?"

"My father." Kazuki swallowed.

"And who is that?"

"Lord Okimoto," Kazuki muttered quietly, but unfortunately not low enough as several gasps lifted from outside the training ring indicating they all heard him. It wasn't that he was ashamed to be Okimoto's son, it was that he wanted to be measured by his own skill, not that of his father.

The instructor frowned.

He wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he swore he saw Aori shudder. It was apparent that Aori was fully aware of who he was related to.

"Interesting." The instructor turned away and sheathed his sword before he waved to the group to gather around him. "I have measured your skill levels. When I call your groups, move forward."

Kazuki watched as each group was moved from one area to another and then his name was called to join group five. Walking slowly over to the group, he lifted a brow when he noticed Ose.

"Group one, you will be working on hand to hand combat skills for the next few months, under my instruction with the Night Watch. Group two, you will be focusing on short weapon skills under the watchful eyes of Makuchi, for the Crimson Sentinels. Group three, you will be clean up and maintenance, I trust you all know what skills are required for this? Group four, you will focus on long weapons, Reiji will be your instructor. Group five, you will be training with the shadows, how to merge with your surroundings, Captain Shinpachi is your instructor. Group six, you will be assigned Captain Yuki, captain of the Rangers, you will be focusing on tracking."

Kazuki heaved a sigh. His group consisted of eight individuals most of who were actually not half bad at their weapon skills. Their heads turned when Shinpachi exited the barracks and approached the group silently.

_'___Do you know what is required for this particular training?' __Kazuki asked his inner spirit who seemed to be extremely excited.

_'___I do.' __Taizo grinned.

Kazuki watched intently as the captain of the guards second in command speculated his group. Several minutes went by when he narrowed his eyes at his silent counterpart. _'___So what is required?'__

_'___Oh, you wanted an answer.' __Taizo smirked.

Kazuki groaned inwardly.

_'___The training is difficult. You have to use your inner energy to slip into the shadows and be undetectable.'__

_'___And how do you do that?' __Kazuki furrowed his brow.

_'___Do what?'__

_'___Use your energy?' __He silently wondered if his inner spirit was being vague on purpose.

_'___You use me.' __

_'___How?'__

_'___Carefully.'__

_'___Seriously?'__

_'___Yes.'__

_'___By the gods, you are useless for answers.' __Kazuki growled now feeling that irritation rise in him once again.

_'___Perhaps if you asked the right questions, I would give you the answers. There is no way to explain how to use me, you just focus on what you want to do and I do it if it is within my power to do it. If it isn't then you fail.' __Taizo grumbled.

_'___How do I know what you can do, what ____**we**____can do, if I have never used you before? I don't know what abilities we have.' __Kazuki growled.

_'___What can your father do?' __Taizo started.

_'___I really don't know.' __Kazuki admitted.

_'___He can use the elements. Okimoto has his father's ability to call down fire and lightning. You should also have access to that skill.'__

_'___That doesn't sound useful to merge with the shadows.' __Kazuki closed his eyes.

_'___It isn't. You have to train yourself and me to use the shadows. It won't be easy, but you can accomplish it with hard work and dedication.' __Taizo admitted.

Shinpachi started speaking to the group and Kazuki immediately brought his attention to the words Shinpachi was saying. "We will start with the basics tomorrow morning. If you are not remaining at the barracks house, make sure you are here before sunup. You are dismissed."

Kazuki shifted slightly, contemplating on whether he should stay or return home. Ose approached him and he lifted a brow curiously.

"Are you staying here?" Ose questioned softly.

"I am uncertain. I was just debating that." Kazuki admitted.

"Not sure how much rest I will get if I go home," Ose grunted. "I know I'll get constant questions from my mother and father about the day, and then my brother will talk my ear off the rest of the night."

Kazuki chuckled. "I have the same issue."

Ose smiled. "Well while we decide, want to spar a little? I could use some practice."

Kazuki snorted. "I have not seen you around before today."

Ose rolled his eyes. "My family's home lies on the south end of the main house. Not really an area nobles frequent."

Kazuki nodded and placed his scabbard against the fence. "You mentioned you never had any training before today?"

Ose sighed. "To be honest, this was the first time I ever held a sword."

"You did remarkably well for never having held a weapon prior to today." Kazuki stood up and faced the shorter youkai. "You even get to be in the same training group as me."

Ose shrugged. "I noticed that I was paired up with a more experienced group. Although I was confused as to why."

"Who knows. I trust they have their motives." Kazuki leaned against the fence. "So do you want to work on swords or daggers?"

Ose lifted a brow and peered at the pile of weapons that still sat in a neat pile. "I think a sword would prove to be a more useful weapon than a dagger, don't you?"

Kazuki smirked. "Depends. Daggers can be just as deadly as a sword. You just have to know how to use them." He walked over to the pile and pulled out a couple of short daggers and flipped them in his hand. "Watch." Giving the stuffed dummy a quick look, Kazuki gripped the blade of the dagger and flung it towards the target and nodded when it embedded into the middle with a dull thunk.

Ose blinked. "Okay, so my knowledge of weapons are pretty limited." He chuckled.

Kazuki grinned and walked to the target, pulling the dagger out. "Here, you try."

Ose gripped the hilt and stared down at the unfamiliar weapon. He had seen Kazuki grab the blade of the weapon and fling it towards the dummy, so spreading his feet apart, he threw it the same way Kazuki had. It spiraled towards the target and dug into the thick fabric but several inches lower than where Kazuki's had hit.

Kazuki nodded. "Not bad. You are a quick study."

"I hope it assists me in working for the guard. Although, I have no idea what is needed for this shadow training." Ose admitted.

"I have never heard of it prior to today." Kazuki nodded his head. Frowning, Kazuki glanced around when he felt eyes on him and he lifted a brow when his gold gaze fell on his eldest brother who stood on the hill he had been on prior. "Manami." He whispered more to himself.

Ose turned his eyes curiously. They immediately fell onto the male who slowly and purposefully walked down the hill right towards them and he gulped. He knew full well who was coming down the hill towards them and his reputation. "Oh, Gods. It's the royal guard."

Kazuki grunted. "The Home Guard to the royal family." He corrected.

Ose took a wary step back. "There is no difference." He choked out.

"Pfft." Kazuki stood his full height and waited while his older brother approached them. Meanwhile, Ose kept stepping back, right for the barracks doors. He almost chuckled in amusement as soon as Ose vanished.

"Otouto." Manami snorted. His armor gleamed in the dimming light, his chest plate freshly polished and the leather oiled.

"Manami." Kazuki nodded. "What brings you here?"

"It is of no business of yours." The elder said stiffly, though his eyes shifted slightly to the surrounding area and Kazuki raised a curious brow.

"Fair enough." Kazuki turned to reach for his sword and proceeded into the barracks, all the while feeling his brother right behind him as though following him. He stopped and stepped to the side and watched as Manami walked past him, headed right for the captain of the guard's chambers.

Ose slipped up next to him quietly. "Damn, he's frightening."

Kazuki glanced at Ose. "Really?" His eyes followed his brother until he vanished behind the curtain. Almost immediately the barracks broke out into hushed whispers and comments.

"What's the royal guard doing here?"

"Did we do something wrong?"

Kazuki rolled his eyes and chuckled. Had Manami really made that sort of a name for himself that everyone feared him?

"Why is everyone so afraid of him?"

Ose blinked at him as though he had grown an extra head. "The biggest question is, why aren't you?"

Kazuki waved his hand at the curtain. "Why would I be?"

Kihachi walked up beside him and quickly wrapped his arm around Kazuki's neck pulling him off balance. Kazuki growled and sidestepped so he didn't fall to the ground. Gripping his older brother's arm, he leaned forward causing Kihachi to lose his own balance and with a smirk, Kazuki flipped him over his shoulder. "Really, Kihachi?" Kazuki snorted and stared down at the grinning male.

Kazuki felt movement behind him and he ducked as his other older brother Isami flung at him. Isami gasped and landed on one of the futons that sat on the ground. "You have gotten faster." Isami chuckled and peered up at him as Kihachi pushed to his feet with his own grin.

Kazuki wiggled his nose. "Either that or you have gotten slower."

Isami glanced at the closed curtain and sat up. "Did you see who just showed up?"

"How could I not when he followed me in?" Kazuki snorted indignantly.

Kihachi rolled his eyes. "He's a jackass."

Kazuki grinned widely. It had always been a running joke between the brothers in regards to their eldest brother, Manami. "Be thankful that Manami isn't as bad as Hisashi."

Kihachi leaned over. "I heard that the home guard is looking for more recruits."

Isami pushed to his feet. "I heard father talking with Hisashi the other night about it."

Kazuki gave his brother a disapproving look. "Eavesdropping again?"

"Hard not to when they were right under my window while I was trying to sleep." Isami shrugged.

Kazuki shook his head. Manami was a good five hundred years older than his younger three brothers. Hisashi had always held the eldest in higher regard, probably because they were closer in age, only being separated by fifty years. His sister, Chinatsu worked as a personal handmaid in the main royal house and sat about twenty years younger than Hisashi. Not really sure why his parents had decided after five hundred years to have more pups was beyond his comprehension, but after Kazuki had been born and came of age, Hisashi no longer spoke with him and Manami always appeared to be angry as though Kazuki had somehow dishonored the family in some fashion. He knew how Manami worked, however, and he knew not to take it personally. Hisashi, on the other hand, was a different story.

Kazuki sighed. Isami and Kihachi shared a look and then at him. "Don't fret over it."

Kazuki raised a curious brow. "I don't." He turned and picked up his belongings and glanced around at all the spare futons curiously.

Isami snorted. "You are not returning home?"

"I haven't decided. You know how father is. I wouldn't get any rest if I were to go home tonight."

Kihachi rolled his eyes but before he was able to comment the cloth covering over the captain's chambers shifted and Manami exited. As he walked by, Manami's golden eyes slid over to them and then lowered. Furrowing his brow, Kazuki watched his older brother leave the barracks without a word.

Isami also had a frown on his face. "Well, that was different." He whispered.

Kazuki nodded his head in agreement. Deciding to not remain in the barracks, he shouldered his bag and gripped his scabbard. "I think I will go home tonight and speak with father."

Kihachi and Isami both nodded. "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea."

Before they were able to walk out of the barracks, Seitarou exited the back and cleared his throat. "Kihachi, Isami and Kazuki, I would like a word before you depart."

The three brothers all raised their brows at exactly the same time. Seitarou snorted and waved them into the back office area. "If I were not aware of your ages, I would almost mistake you as triplets."

Seitarou's eyes roamed over the three brothers in speculation. They all had their father's long silver hair with slight blue hues in the strands. All three held their father's cobalt blue heritage markings on their faces, and the same build and stature. The only real difference was that Kazuki stood a good head taller than Kihachi and Isami. "Sit."

Seitarou walked to his desk and knelt down waiting while the three of them seated themselves. "It is no secret that Manami is your elder brother. I and the other instructors know, however, none of the recruits are aware of this. I will not simplify your training or the instruction I set out for the others due to this."

Isami nodded gratefully. So far in his three years in the barracks, he had not been held in any higher standing than any of the other guards.

"Manami was asking about your progress and to also ask if I found you worthy enough to join the home guard when your training is complete." Seitarou watched the brothers intently for any signs of surprise or shock. So far their father had trained them well in keeping their emotions in check. "I would recommend speaking with your father first and seriously think long and hard before you decide."

Kazuki shook his head. "I have seen what it has done to Hisashi. I have no interest in joining those pompous jackasses." He blurted out before he could stop himself.

Kihachi and Isami both glanced at him in horror.

Seitarou actually chuckled in amusement which caused the two brothers to turn and stare at the captain in bafflement. "I also have seen what it has done, to both Hisashi and Manami. There are eyes everywhere, so be mindful of what you say and do. The home guard has spies even amongst my ranks."

The three brothers glanced at one another before nodding their heads.

"Go, speak to your father. I expect you all to be here in the morning before sunup." Seitarou dismissed them and he watched as they exited his chambers.

As soon as the cloth fell over the door he turned his head and cocked an eyebrow.

"You know it is dangerous to play this game with the home guard." The other occupant said softly.

Seitarou nodded. "I am aware. I do not know what goes on behind those walls, even Manami is afraid to speak of it."

Shinpachi stepped into the dim candlelight. "What would you like me to do?"

"Train those three as you would any other recruit. Perhaps stretch their limits a bit more. I want to see what they are capable of." Seitarou looked towards the door. "One of them holds Hiromitsu's ancient spirit. The one who does will need to be extra careful."


	2. Chapter 2 Manami and the Spirits Foresha

Chapter Two

Manami and the Spirits Foreshadowing

Kazuki followed Kihachi and Isami down the dirt path towards their home, all silent and lost with their own thoughts of what transpired that evening. Knowing full well that their father would give them advice or guidance, they were all anxious to get home to sit and speak with him. He wasn't sure if it were just his overactive mind or if he was pushing down some gut feeling, but Kazuki didn't feel at all comfortable with the warning look his older brother had given them.

_'___You have a strong sense of premonition.' __His inner spirit muttered softly.

_'___Oh?'__

_'___It certainly is not an overactive mind.' __

Kazuki stopped on the path and blinked. _'___You can hear my thoughts?'__

_'___That surprises you?'__

_'___Those are ____**my**____thoughts.' __Kazuki growled.

_'___I am a part of you as you are a part of me, what you see, feel, hear and smell I also sense.' __The spirit chuckled.

Kazuki grunted softly. _'___Fantastic.' __He slipped through the door to their parent's hut and four sets of eyes turned to peer at them curiously. _'___Bloody hell, even Chinami and Hisashi are here.'__

Taizo chuckled in his head.

Okimoto stood with a wide grin on his face. "For the first time in years, I have all my pups under one roof."

Kazuki lifted a brow and bit his lip when Kihachi protested. "We aren't pups anymore, father."

"You are to me," Okimoto growled. "Now sit. Your mother has prepared a wonderful meal for tonight."

Isami groaned when the covering to the back rooms moved and Manami exited. "Why are you here?"

Manami glared at the younger brother. "I came to speak with father."

Kazuki rolled his eyes and sat down at the fire pit in the middle of the room. To everyone's surprise, even Manami seated himself and growled softly when their mother ruffled the top of his hair. "Mother." He protested.

Their mother laughed as she walked by to get the meal she had prepared. Akiara handed over two of the platters and brought the last one herself, sitting next to Hisashi.

As soon as Okimoto sat down, all hands immediately went for the meat that waited for them. Their mother shook her head. "Goodness, do they even feed you at the barracks?" She said exasperated.

Kazuki bit into his portion of meat and eyed his older brother in speculation. At this moment, it was like Manami had never changed, eating and speaking softly with their father. He sighed quietly, glancing around the fire pit. Even Hisashi was grinning and teasing their sister, trying to distract her from her plate while Kihachi reached for a bit of food.

"Hey!" Akiara growled, pulling her plate out of Kihachi's reach, but missing as Isami snagged a piece as the plate swung to his side. Her eyes swerved to Isami and she snarled. "No fair."

Manami chuckled as he watched. "All is fair when you do not pay attention, little sister."

Kazuki lifted a brow in surprise. "What was with that look at the barracks?" He asked after swallowing his mouthful of food.

Manami glanced at him curiously. "You saw that?"

"Was I not supposed to?" Kazuki grunted softly.

Manami shook his head. "It isn't that. I am only surprised that you caught it."

Isami rolled his eyes. "I saw it too."

"As did I." Kihachi mumbled around his mouthful of food.

Manami snorted. "I knew you two would see it, but I didn't expect Kazuki to notice."

Kazuki sighed. "And I ask again, was I not supposed to notice?" He wasn't sure if he was to be held away from the situation as he was so used to, but he was somewhat annoyed that they thought so little of him, that they thought he wouldn't notice such a slight glance.

Manami smiled. "The fact that you noticed means you have a high awareness, which might just be a useful tool with the current situation. Let us discuss it after we eat."

Okimoto nodded his head. "Manami has already spoken to me about this turn of events and we will fill you in after."

Chinami nodded. "After, yes. This is not a matter for women to be involved in."

Hisashi snorted. "Always so prim and proper since taking on attendance with the Princess."

Chinami smacked his arm. "And you are always so rude."

Chuya cleared her throat. "Enough."

Immediately the room grew silent and even Manami bit his lip to hide the smile that threatened to escape. The rest of the meal was finished in silence, and their mother pushed to her feet with both her daughters in tow. Okimoto stood and stretched and then motioned with his hand for his sons to follow.

Kazuki hesitated for a moment. As he was the youngest son, he was usually the one left out of family meetings or affairs, but this time Okimoto glanced back at him while holding the cloth covering to the furthest back room and waited. Lifting his brow, Kazuki also pushed to his feet and glanced at his father as he passed.

"You are now of an age to be included in these matters, Kazuki," Okimoto muttered quietly. He pushed past his other four sons and led the way out the back door to the enclosed space just outside the hut. The walls were high and stood in stark contrast against the night sky, not quite high enough to hold back the spies or other eavesdroppers, but certainly enough of height to cause hesitation.

Okimoto pulled up a low chair and sat down. "Tell them what you told me."

Manami nodded. "There are happenings right now that pose a great threat to not only the royal family but to the clan as well." He shared a glance with Hisashi who snorted. "Do you remember that surge of energy we felt a few weeks back?"

Kihachi, Isami, and Kazuki looked around but nodded their heads. "The one we all thought was the dragon who resides in the mountains?"

Manami smiled. "Yes. It wasn't him. It is something far more ominous. Genjiro and Chijimatsu are planning to investigate that tomorrow."

Kazuki frowned. "Them and not the home guard? Is it not their duty to ensure that Lord Genjiro and his heir are safe from any and all harm?"

"It is, and yet they wish to find the source of this disturbance themselves. Despite my protests and warnings, they still insist." Manami growled.

"Have you said as much?" Kihachi said absently.

Kazuki punched his arm. "Did he not just say despite his protests, they still insist?"

Kihachi gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry." He mumbled.

Kazuki glanced at Manami. "Where exactly is this?"

"Do you remember the old shrine atop the mountain to the far south?"

Isami furrowed his brow. "The one for the life Goddess of creation?"

Kihachi grunted. "I wasn't aware that it still stood."

"It is in that area." Manami pinched the bridge of his nose. "I really do not wish to go up there."

Kazuki had a strange feeling about the news and he lowered his head to stare at the dark black of his boots. The muscles in his stomach clenched and he felt a bit sick.

_'___Are you going to share your feelings?' __Taizo urged him.

_'___It will make me seem weak and inexperienced.' __Kazuki protested with a frown.

Manami watched the facial expressions on his youngest brother's face and he leaned over. "Share your thoughts."

Kazuki jerked slightly and glanced up to stare into Manami's gold eyes. "It is probably nothing." He mumbled.

Manami shook his head. "Share them anyway."

Kazuki shrugged his shoulders, suddenly uncomfortable with the attention he was getting. "I don't know. Something feels wrong about the whole situation. It makes me ill."

Okimoto leaned back in his chair. He knew who's inner spirit his youngest son held and he knew better than to just shrug it off as an uneasy feeling, as nothing more than inexperience. "Listen to your inner spirit, Kazuki. It is perceptive and it feeds off your own energy. I too do not like this turn of events."

"I have no choice but to go with them. My duty is to protect the heir, Lord Chijimatsu from any and all harm, spiritual or otherwise." Manami groaned leaning back against the tree he sat below.

Kazuki sucked his breath in sharply as an image fluttered before his eyes, wiping away the dark foliage of the garden they sat in. He looked around with wide eyes, staring at the churned earth covered in blood. Old dead stumps sat where the trees had been and as he looked at his family, he could only make out their horrified expressions frozen in death.

He scrambled to his feet, his heart thundering heavily in his chest as his breaths came in short frantic pants.

_'___Shh-relax.' __Taizo soothed softly.

Manami glanced at Kazuki startled. "What is it?"

Okimoto sat forward concern filling him.

Kazuki closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "You can't go up there." He breathed.

"What did you see?" Okimoto hissed between his teeth. There would be no use now in hiding who's inner spirit Kazuki held.

"You can foresee the future?" Isami gasped.

"That means-" Kihachi glanced at his youngest brother with wide-eyes.

Manami sighed. "I suspected as much. With how diligently father trained you, it makes sense that you carry grandfather's ancient spirit."

"That's why he pushed you to join the guard this year." Kihachi whistled.

Okimoto released a soft growl which immediately had their attention. "That matters not. Focus, Kazuki."

Kazuki shook his head, his eyes still closed. The horror of his family's dead faces burned in his brain behind his eyelids. "It was only a flash. Everything was dead. It was as though every living thing had died."

Manami furrowed his brow. "A hand of death."

Kazuki opened his eyes and glanced at his older brother. "Yes."

_'___What does it mean?' __Kazuki begged Taizo.

_'___That this energy that was felt should be left alone.'__

_'___So what do I say?'__

_'___Tell them what you saw.' __Taizo whispered.

Okimoto saw the conflict on his son's face. "There is something you are not telling us."

Kazuki gulped. "I do not wish to voice it in fear of it coming true." He whispered.

Okimoto grunted. "What does your inner spirit say?"

Kazuki gave his father a pained look. "I should tell you what I saw."

"Then do it," Isami growled.

Hisashi leaned against the house with his arms crossed over his chest. He was angry, everyone could see that much from his scowl on his face. "I would have figured grandfather's ancient spirit would have gone to Manami."

"Silence." Okimoto snarled.

Hisashi sniffed but clamped his mouth shut.

Kazuki sat back down and swallowed. "When I said that everything was dead, I meant everything." He whispered.

Manami frowned. "You saw the death of the clan?"

Kazuki clenched his eyes shut and shook his head. "I saw your deaths."

Kihachi and Isami shared a startled look.

Manami placed his hand on Kazuki's shoulder. He leaned over and whispered into his younger brother's ear. "Listening to advice from your inner spirit is important for you to survive. It is old and intelligent. Did you see what killed us? Or was it only the image of us being dead?"

"Only the image of you dead." Kazuki took a deep breath.

Manami nodded. "I will inform my captain to be extra careful when we travel up the mountain."

Okimoto shook his head. "I do not like it that you go in that direction. The human's settlement sits just on the other side."

"I know. But I cannot stray from my duty. To do so would mean my death anyway." Manami grunted.

_'___There is a dark shadow that looms on the mountain.' __Taizo said so softly Kazuki wasn't sure he heard right.

_'___What kind of shadow?'__

_'___Something far older than I am.'__

Kazuki tapped his head. "It said a dark shadow in on that mountain, something older than it is." He fisted his eyes and rubbed them. "It said this thing needs to be left alone."

Manami frowned. "I will relay the message when I return to the main house. Perhaps we can persuade them to forgo this mission."

Kazuki swallowed. "This shadow guard in the barracks, do they hold back the darkness?"

Manami chuckled. "No. They have a different skill set than the regular guard."

Hisashi pushed away from the wall of the hut. "They are useless."

Kihachi narrowed his eyes. "They are not. I trained with them last year. Trust me when I say they have more skills than you do."

"I highly doubt that," Hisashi grumbled.

Manami groaned. "They are assassins and spies, idiot." He glared at Hisashi. "You were just unfortunate enough to not be able to master their skills."

Isami grunted. "I train with them this year."

Kazuki glanced at his brother curiously. "How many training groups are there for that section?"

"Only one." Isami smiled and slapped his hands together, rubbing them excitedly.

"Interesting." Kazuki nodded. So would that mean he was training with his older brother then?

Manami looked at Kihachi. "Where are you placed?"

"Tracking, with Yuki."

Manami looked at Kazuki. "And you?"

"Matched up with Captain Shinpachi."

Isami blinked at him. "For shadow training? Seriously?"

Hisashi snorted. "With your clumsy feet, I would be astounded if you got through a week unscathed."

Kazuki flushed in embarrassment. It was no secret that he was clumsy his body so tall in such a short space of time, he just hated being reminded of it. He worked diligently through the summer to gain his balance and not be as clumsy as he used to be.

Manami didn't miss the reaction and snarled at Hisashi. "Perhaps you should focus on your own faults before pointing out those of others. Your anger is misplaced and should be directed towards the threat of evil that is descending upon the clan. Fighting amongst ourselves will solve nothing."

Okimoto nodded his head. "Indeed. I will go speak with Shinpachi tonight and see if he has sensed anything out of the ordinary. Seitarou should be made aware of this also."

Manami nodded his head. "I already spoke with Seitarou who no doubt already filled Shinpachi in."

Okimoto inclined his head. "Speak with the Royal family and do try to persuade them to remain at the main house while their guards do the investigating."

Hisashi grunted. "That won't work. They are stubborn and pig-headed."

Manami shot to his feet and faster than the blink of an eye had Hisashi pinned against the wall. "You would be wise to hold your tongue, brother. You work for the home guard as I do, you know the threat is real."

Hisashi shoved Minami off him and barred his teeth. "You grow far too cautious, brother!" He snapped. "The twins have ensured us that there is no threat, hence why Lord Genjiro and Lord Chijimatsu insist on investigating this themselves."

Kazuki furrowed his brow and mouthed the word.

Manami snorted. "The twins know nothing and if they do it is for their own benefit." He shook his head. "You have already been beholden of whatever is said by the twins as truth and thus will not listen to reason. You are a fool."

"You are the fool, Manami if you think your position is safe." Hisashi scoffed and stormed into the house his voice echoing into the gardens as he left, "The twins know more than you realize. They protect us far more successfully than you ever could."

Manami shook his head with a growl.

Okimoto lifted a brow. "Troubles in the royal guard?"

Manami sighed. "Isn't there always?"

Kazuki was at a loss. "Who are the twins?"

Manami glanced down at his youngest brother. "If you ever take any advice from me, stay away from them. Something feels off with those two since they arrived here but I can't place my finger on it."

Kazuki heard the warning in Manami's voice and he nodded his head. Isami and Kihachi rose to their feet and bid their father good night before they exited the gardens. He remained sitting by the small fire silently for a few moments. He was lost in thought for several minutes while Okimoto and Manami spoke softly and then their father gripped his shoulder before entering the hut.

"Another piece of advice?" Manami glanced at him.

Kazuki looked up.

"Keep secret your inner spirit. The family knows that you house grandfather's ancient spirit, but no one else knows. To make anyone else aware of this means danger to you and those close to you." Manami shouldered his bag and smiled. "Do not take to heart my treatment towards you while I am in the home guards' presence. It has nothing to do with you."

Kazuki grunted. "Only a mask to hide your real thoughts." He muttered.

"Out of all our brother's you are the most intelligent. I do not know how I will be when I return, but there is strife among the home guard. Remember my words." Before Manami entered the hut he glanced back once more. "Stay away from the home guard. They will try to recruit all of father's sons. Unfortunately, it is too late for me or Hisashi. I bid you goodnight, little brother. I go home to my mate and pup before I tend to Lord Genjiro before sunrise."

Once Manami left Kazuki remained sitting, staring into the flickering orange flames silently. His older brother's words filtering over and over in his brain. With a sigh, he pushed to his feet and entered the hut. Chinami had already left as well as Hisashi, leaving Akiara, Isami, Kihachi, their mother and father and himself left alone.

Okimoto exited one of the back rooms carrying a large wooden box. He placed it beside the fire pit and glanced at his sons. "Sit." He waved them closer. Opening the box, he pulled three large swords out, one by one, placing them on the stones surrounding the fire. "These were handed down to me by my own father. I want you to carry them."

Kihachi leaned forward and stared at the blades. They were nicer than the ones he used in the barracks.

Okimoto handed each of his sons a sword and they stared at them awestruck. Kazuki was the first to pull the blade out of its scabbard and he stared at the gleaming metal. It was a straight blade with a center fuller down the length. The hilt was made of black ebony and wrapped in a tightly bound twine. Attached to the guard was a red ornamental piece and attached to it was a white glittering gem.

Chuya placed four goblets down filled with berry wine and then walked away with a small smile on her face. Even though she hated having her pups in the guard, risking their lives to protect others, she was grateful that they could defend themselves should the situation ever arise. She prayed to the gods that that day would never come.

The evening had gone by quietly after their parents had already retired for the night. Kazuki rose from his futon and quickly dressed in his usual white haori and blue hakama before he slipped his feet into the sandals just outside his door. Across the hall he could hear Isami's soft breathing in sleep and there were no signs of Kihachi. Slipping down the narrow hall and out the front door, Kazuki reached down for his bag and new sword his father had bestowed on him, and he slipped into the shadows surrounding the hut.

It was still night, but dawn was fast approaching as the sky in the east was taking on a slight orange hue. Everything was deathly silent and Kazuki furrowed his brow as he glanced around. Had it always been this quiet?

_'___You awake?' __He silently asked his inner spirit.

_'___I am always awake, unless you send me to sleep.' __Came the soft reply.

_'___Has it always been this quiet?'__

_'___It is the quiet before the storm. From past experience, the silence indicates a foul atmosphere just before chaos ensues.' __Taizo muttered.

Kazuki swallowed nervously as he approached the large barracks house. Just outside the gated doors stood Seitarou and Shinpachi, both who were looking in the direction of the mountains Manami had mentioned the night before. Neither spoke or moved an inch the entire time they watched the dark mountain range in the distance and as Kazuki approached them, he immediately felt the tension emitted from both of them.

Kazuki snaked his gaze across the fields and up the mountains only to release a soft gasp startled at the black that loomed over them. The thick blackness mingled with the dark sky, but closer to the top of the mountain was a wavering purple that seemed to pulse as though the air itself was breathing. He was transfixed on that dark sky as though it beckoned him and he felt himself take a slow step towards it. His steps faltered and he clenched his eyes shut and his heart tightened as though he had torn himself away from his own body.

Panting irregularly he heard a soft voice in his head. _'___The strength you have against such evil is astounding.'__

Kazuki didn't answer. He only focused on his breathing and trying to get his heart to beat at a normal rate. Once he felt like he was in control, he opened his eyes and gulped. _'___Manami is going up there.'__

_'___He is.'__

_'___Will he be swallowed up by that thing?' __Kazuki could feel the evil energy drift down the mountain as though it floated on the faint breeze.

_'___If he is strong enough, he will prevail.' __Taizo whispered.

_'___If.' __That single word echoed through his head as he approached both Seitarou and Shinpachi who eyed him warily. "You feel it too?" He questioned.

Shinpachi nodded his head once, his long silver hair drifted with the wind that blew around them. Neither of them uttered a word as the whistling of the wind picked up pace as though anticipating the arrival of newcomers to its space. Kazuki released a soft growl as his heart once again felt as though it were being pulled towards that vortex of blackness. "Curses." He hissed between his teeth. His eyes fell onto his older brother Kihachi who stood just inside the barracks doors, hands clenched around the wooden frame desperately. His knuckles white from the force of his grip.

The gold eyes seemed to glitter with longing as though he too felt the insistent pull of the misery and pain that filled the very air they breathed. Instinctively, Kazuki moved to his brother's side and blocked his view of the mountain. "Kihachi!" He snarled low.

Those darkened gold eyes snapped to his and cleared with startled fear. "Kazuki?" He breathed barely above a whisper. Kihachi's eyes moved to where the mountain sat behind Kazuki and he shuddered. "They can't go up there." He said fearfully.

Kazuki nodded his head. "Hopefully Manami can convince them to halt the travel."

"And if he doesn't?"

Kazuki looked over his shoulder. "Then I fear that what I foresaw will come crashing down upon us like the ocean does after the earth shakes."

Seitarou and Shinpachi shared a brief look as they picked up Kazuki's whispered words and their jaws clenched together tightly. The sun had already started to rise but the blackened clouds in the east prevented any of its warmth to penetrate. The chill in the air was enough of a warning that something sinister silently waited for any and all who would dare invade its territory.


	3. Chapter 3 Shinpachi and the Shadow Guard

Chapter Three

Shinpachi and the Shadow Guard

The morning came but without the usual brightness of the sunshine. Everything was cast in shadow as the sky remained dark and dull. Even the chill of the night lingered which caused many to rub their arms as they woke and exited the barracks expecting to warm up in the sun. Their eyes immediately fell onto Seitarou and Shinpachi who still remained rooted in place watching the mountains.

Their eyes then fell onto Kazuki and Kihachi who stood just inside the large barracks doors. Ose walked up to them and whispered quietly. "What is going on?"

Kazuki shook his head his eyes drifting over once again to the dark mountain range.

Ose followed with his own eyes and his mouth dropped open in surprise. "What in seven hells is that?"

Kihachi snorted as he sunk down to the ground just inside the doors. "Nothing good. Even Seitarou and Shinpachi are here."

At the mention of their names, both instructors turned. "You can all feel the foul energy. Regardless of what it is, you still need to focus on your training today. I have received news that the home guard are going to investigate this disturbance, as soon as they return they will update us." Seitarou spoke quietly, his voice able to penetrate the wild whistling of the breeze.

Kihachi and Kazuki shared a look before they caught sight of Isami who approached them. He was dressed much more simply than the night before, wearing dark blue hakama pants and a dark blue haori over his almost black kimono. Isami glanced down at Kazuki with a raised brow. "Wearing white might be a problem." His knees bent and he crouched in front of his two brothers.

Kazuki glanced down at his white haori then allowed his eyes to drift over the others in his group. All of them wore the same dark blue Isami wore. Wrinkling his nose at his oversight, he dug through his bag in hopes that he remembered to grab a few extra shirts. Nodding his head in relief, he quickly shrugged out of his white one and replaced it with the dark blue. Tying it around his waist, he turned around when Seitarou moved forward as more students arrived for their lessons.

Most had their eyes trained on the mountains until Seitarou cleared his throat. Shinpachi rolled his eyes and approached his group that now we're beginning to gather in the training ring. "Follow me." He muttered quietly, walking past them towards the forest that sat to the south of the barracks.

Kihachi waved Kazuki off when he went to assist in his standing. "Go. Shinpachi does not like to be kept waiting."

Kazuki nodded his head and quickly sprinted after the group of eighteen. There were eight of the new recruits that he had been paired up with the day before and ten other students that he assumed were various year levels. One was his older brother Isami, who was three years into his own training.

Shinpachi walked in silence for the entire trip into the darkened woods and only stopped and turned when they came into a small clearing. Kazuki glanced around at the scarred trunks and upturned earth signaling that this space was used frequently for various training methods. As soon as everyone gathered around the small clearing, Shinpachi then spoke. "Today I want to focus on your listening skills. Have a seat."

Everyone dropped to the ground, some sitting far more casually, others sitting in the traditional fashion on their knees with their hands placed on their legs. "Working with the shadows and learning to merge with them is a difficult task. It is not meant for everyone, but with the skills you learn from my lessons it will aid you, should you ever be faced with battle. Each group you join will give you skills to use, so even if you are not perfect in one area, you can use the skills together to increase your chances in a fight."

Having their full attention, Shinpachi glanced at each of them. "The most important thing to remember is to listen to your surroundings. The other is to pay attention to the location of the light." He waved his hands to the area around them. "Here you have a lot of shelter from the light so you can slip into the shadows and blend into them. Listening to where your opponent is, is key to being able to sneak up and overwhelm them. We want them to be startled and caught unaware."

Everyone glanced around at their surroundings and nodded in understanding.

Shinpachi smiled. "The shadow guard is a mysterious group that not many outside the barracks know about. All recruits go through this training because it is becoming far more difficult to find those skilled enough to merge with the shadows. To be fair, we are assassins and spies. We listen, and if given the command we strike."

One of the recruits lifted his hand.

Shinpachi nodded giving permission to ask his question.

"Have you ever had to take someone's life?"

Shinpachi chuckled. "Once or twice." In truth, he had taken far more lives than he wished to admit. "The guard usually tries not to have to resort to violence, but there is the odd occasion where it is necessary." Shinpachi crouched down. "We generally like to know the happenings around us, listen and relay the news to the other faction guards. Keeping secret is far more important to the shadow guard than killing.

"I report directly to Seitarou, commander of the Crimson Sentinels. That group only consists of guards who are able to master all the skills these groups provide. They are the front lines, skilled at tracking, fighting, slipping into the shadows, and quick of wit. It is much more difficult to be allowed entrance into that section than it is to be in my guard."

Kazuki felt nervous. Glancing around at the shadows around them, he realized the importance of using the shade the trees cast. His father had done a lot of his training while he was still a youth, so he knew he had some skills. However, blending into the shadows was far more difficult and not one he had. He had the skills of swordplay, using spears, and other methods of weapons. He could track a bear's progress in the summer, days after it had passed the area, and he knew how to hunt.

Kazuki was quick on his feet and could anticipate an opponent's move merely by looking at their stance. He could see by a simple twitch of their jaw or the shifting of feet exactly where they would be, but none of those skills would be useful for this training. The only other thing he was not familiar with was how to use his abilities that were provided for and fed off by the sentient being within him.

Shinpachi stood and motioned for the group to follow. Everyone took their feet and he pointed to Isami. "I want you to hide amongst the shadows. The rest will use their skills to locate you. The first to find you will meet back here and wait while the others find you. Use the shadows and hide from the others who are searching, listen, follow, and be alert. If you do get seen by another student, you will have to return to me. It does not matter how long it takes, I will be stretching your limits while you are under my instruction. It may be days or even as long as two weeks before you get any rest."

_'___Well, shit.' __Kazuki groaned. He certainly had not trained his body to remain awake for longer than a few days before requiring sleep to regain his energy.

Taizo chuckled in his head. _'___Just remember not to overdo it. If you drain your energy, you drain mine, and I must use some to keep you breathing.'__

_'___If we become exhausted?'__

_'___Shinpachi will know far sooner than you will and he will command a break.' __

_'___So have you gone through this training before?'__

_'___No. There was no need during your grandfather's time to have shadow guards.'__

Isami darted into the forest while the rest of the group listened to Shinpachi give some advice. "Remember to listen to your surroundings. Use the skills you do have to find Isami. He has three years on some of you, so bring out all the stops." Shinpachi closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, listening to the sounds of the forest. When he opened his eyes, facing away from the students, he gave his head a slight nod, indicating those behind him to move. "Now, go!"

Kazuki lifted his eyes to the sky then lowered his gaze to the forest floor, slowly making his way towards the edge of the clearing. Lowering to a crouch, he fingered the leaves on the ground and grinned. _'___Sneaky little shit.'__

Taizo chuckled softly in his head.

He was the last one to leave the clearing as he slipped between two close trees, gnarled together from age. _'___Can you help at all?'__

_'___What do you want to do?'__

Kazuki paused and tilted his head to the side. Even though his hearing was good, it wasn't nearly as good as his father's or his brother's. _'___Can you give my hearing a boost?'__

_'___I can.' __Taizo muttered.

It took only a breath for his sense of hearing to increase. He blinked surprised as sounds he never expected to hear came at him from all directions. The cicada's buzzed further into the forest probably closer to the field that sat beyond it. The chirping of birds sang, and he could actually make out the sounds of cracking wood from the trees themselves.

Kazuki's mouth dropped open in surprise. _'___Wow.'__

_'___Would you like sight as well?' __His inner spirit questioned.

_'___You can do that?' __Kazuki asked wide-eyed.

_'___Of course.'__

His inner spirit had been awoken only the year prior and so far since waking Taizo he had more conversations with it in the last day than during the whole year. When Kazuki had come of age, he had woken to feel slightly dizzy and out of sorts, and he had questioned his father about it. Okimoto had informed him that his power, his energy, and inner spirit would be woken on that day and he remembered being overly excited.

They had gone to the healers right after eating their morning meal and the healer had given Kazuki something to drink that made him feel sleepy. When he had opened his eyes he had been standing in a large pool of crystal clear water with a tree situated on a bank by the edge of the water. All around were dark silhouettes of trees, almost appearing so far away that it seemed like it would take days to approach them.

Kazuki had lifted his eyes to the sky but saw nothing but a black shroud covering it, but little twinkling stars were visible. Then before he knew it, there was a large white dog standing in the middle of the pool, peering down at him with red eyes. He remembered swallowing and blinking stupidly at it as he had to crane his neck way back to stare up into those brilliant blood-red eyes.

He had said something, but the words didn't come out of his mouth as he first expected, instead, his voice echoed through the area as though he had been standing in several directions at once. The dog's head had lowered bringing that large muzzle to his face level and the tongue had rolled out of its mouth as though laughing at him.

Kazuki remembered shaking a finger at the dog as if in a chastising manner and then the nose tapped him in the chest, sending him sprawling onto his back into the water. He had clenched his eyes shut fully expecting a large splash of water and soaking him through and through, but when the splash didn't come, he had opened his eyes shocked. He was no longer in that area, but sitting in the bed the healer had placed him.

Taizo chuckled in his head as the memory flooded through Kazuki. _'___I watched you the entire year.'__

Kazuki snorted as his eyesight sharpened and things that had been slightly blurry due to the distance came in sharp contrast to him now. _'___I wasn't even aware you could talk.'__

_'___Seriously?' __

_'___You never said a word until yesterday.' __Kazuki said indignantly.

_'___Interesting.'__

Kazuki paused in the deep foliage of the bushes he was in and crouched down when a slight shadow moved just out of his peripheral vision and he slowed his breathing. Turning his head he squinted his eyes, not sure if he had only imagined the slight movement, or if it was another student close to him. _'___What do I do?'__

_'___That is up to you.' __His inner spirit snickered.

_'___Aren't you supposed to give me advice or something?' __Kazuki asked.

_'___I can, but you learn from mistakes and it is more useful if I give you advice on thoughts you provide.'__

Kazuki released his breath and frowned. _'___So if I say I want to go check out that slight movement I saw?'__

_'___I can give you advice on that.' __He could feel his inner spirit smile.

Kazuki nodded his head, remaining crouched in the dark foliage.

_'___If you move out of your hiding spot and it is, in fact, another student and they see you, then you must go back to where your instructor is. However, if you remain here waiting and watching and it is another student, you catch them instead.' __Taizo whispered.

Kazuki smiled. Shinpachi had said they needed to be sneaky and that there was no rush in finding Isami. Crawling onto his stomach, Kazuki moved the bush slightly and made a small little window in the thick leaves so he could peer out without being seen. _'___What if that was only my imagination?'__

_'___Then you will know after a time of staying still.' __Taizo muttered. _'___If it is a student, they may grow tired of waiting and you will know after the sun moves from its current location to the top of the tree on your left. If it isn't, the shadow you might have seen will move indicating what it was.'__

Kazuki nodded. For almost an hour, Kazuki watched the shadows move slowly around the space and finally, he moved out of his spot. He carefully crawled backward out of the bushes and slipped behind the tree closest to him. Edging his head around the trunk, he watched how the shadow moved and then he gasped.

Another student also seemed to have grown tired of waiting and edged slightly closer to where the bushes were. He suspected that was where this student was headed. Slipping to the side opposite of where this male was, he inched slowly and silently behind the individual and tapped him on the shoulder.

The male jumped a foot in the air releasing a sharp yell of surprise and then glowered. "Gods!" He breathed, placing his hand over his chest. "I thought I had seen someone moving, but I waited. When I didn't see anyone moving I took the chance to investigate."

Kazuki chuckled and nodded his head. "I did the same."

"Good luck." The student turned to head back to where their instructor waited and left Kazuki alone in the trees.

_'___Well, that answers that.' __Kazuki nodded his head.

_'___Careful, you never know how many more are doing the exact same thing. Remember to use the shadows to your advantage.' __Taizo said softly.

_'___Right.' __Kazuki quickly corrected his position and slipped into the shadows the trees cast. _'___So how do I train you and myself to use these shadows?'__

_'___Seeing as I have not gone through this training myself, I have no idea.' __Taizo admitted. _'___I would recommend staying low to the ground, or higher up among the branches.'__

Kazuki crouched in the shadow of the tree he was behind and glanced up into the thick branches above him. Not entirely sure how he would manage to go from tree to tree, he decided to remain on the ground. His eyesight was fantastic. Every vein on the leaves were prominent, and the faded green they had been were now vibrant and more alive than he ever thought possible. Squinting slightly, he could actually make out a dung beetle on one of the trees further in the forest.

His hearing was also much improved. Tilting his head to the side, he listened to the sounds the forest made. The scurring of animals on the forest floor, down to the slight scratching and stretching sound the spider a foot away made on its web. Shaking his head, Kazuki almost crawled forward to another shaded spot, slowly and as quietly as he could.

Glancing down at the forest floor, he saw the telltale signs of recent activity. Prints were fresh in the forest floor, and one mark even indicated that besides the student he had caught only moments ago, another student was nearby. Releasing a soft gasp, Kazuki did his best to mold himself with the tree next to him, just as one of his training mates exited the thick brush to his right.

Furrowing his brow, he edged his face around the side of the trunk and peered at the reckless student, who seemed not to have a care in the world. He was walking through the area casually, as though this were an everyday stroll through the woods with friends. Edging his head around the other side, the student had his back to him, walking nonchalantly into the thicker portion.

_'___Hmph.' __Kazuki stated silently. _'___How is it he has not yet been seen by anyone and tapped out?' __

_'___Your guess is as good as mine.' __Taizo snorted. _'___With his recklessness, he will be found eventually.'__

Kazuki carefully glanced around the side of his tree, keeping a careful eye on the student, who still trudged through the forest without a care in the world. Frowning, Kazuki wiggled his nose. _'___Unless he had been caught and just doesn't care about the rules?'__

_'___Perhaps. Do not lose your guard now, however, if this is the case.'__

_'___How would Shinpachi even know if someone is cheating or not anyway?' __Kazuki asked as he moved to the shadow of the next tree.

_'___You honestly think a captain of his caliber would not know?'__

_'___I'm not saying it. Only curious as to how he would know.'__

_'___I would say his sight is ten times better than yours.'__

Kazuki couldn't argue with that. If Shinpachi had a fraction of his own sight, he could probably make out far more than he realized. _'___I remember Seitarou mentioned that there were eyes everywhere.'__

_'___Indeed. Now you are thinking.' __Taizo grinned. _'___I like your thoughts. You are not careless or simple when it comes to things. You weigh all the options before you make a move.'__

_'___I try. My father taught me to use caution even if it felt safe and secure.'__

_'___Hitomitsu was the same.' __

_'___My grandfather.' __Kazuki smiled slightly, his eyes still trained on the student who recklessly went through the area he was in.

_'___Your grandfather rarely trusted anyone. He thought everything through, the positive and negative of every situation.'__

Kazuki lifted his head to peer at the leaves above him and then over his shoulder again to see where the student was. Satisfied that the individual was moving away from him, Kazuki slipped to the next tree.

As he slipped from tree to tree, Kazuki kept his eyes alert and his hearing focused on the movement through the forest. It didn't take him as long as he had expected to find his brother's footsteps. It was probably because they had hunted together on several occasions to make it easier to spot Isami's steps amongst the others. So with a sly smile, Kazuki inched forward to inspect it closer. He lifted his head when the snap of a branch indicated someone approaching.

Quickly correcting his position, Kazuki dove behind a bunch of bushes and peered out into the area. Once again it was the reckless student who still had yet to be caught. Frowning, Kazuki watched for several long minutes when another student darted out of the shadows and tapped the male on the shoulder.

"Ha! I caught you, Enmei." The one who jumped out grinned.

The individual named Enmei shoved the other student to the ground with a growl. "This is such a stupid game. How does this assist us with fighting?" Enmei asked.

"This isn't a game, idiot. This trains us to approach an enemy unaware and strike. It is very useful." The male on the ground said. He pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his hakama. "But you failed, so you must go back to where we left Captain Shinpachi."

Enmei scoffed. "Ridiculous. I'm hunting this Isami and I will find him. You can go back if you want."

The student gaped at Enmei. "I found you, not the other way around, fool."

"Who is going to believe that? I'll tell the captain that I found you, Hyou."

Hyou frowned. "I really hope that this comes back to bite you in the ass. Captain Shinpachi is captain for a reason. Do you honestly think that we would be out here without being monitored?"

"Get out of my face," Enmei said and walked away.

Hyou watched Enmei walk away and sighed. "What an idiot." He muttered softly to himself.

Kazuki inched back slightly and nodded his head. _'___I figured that is what happened.'__

_'___A shadow walker is no fool. I would not be surprised if he doesn't already have eyes watching this Enmei's progress. He will be found out, however, until then, be wary. Enmei looks like trouble.' __Taizo instructed.

Kazuki nodded his head and moved around to where Hyou stood with his face lowered to stare at the forest floor. Slipping out of the shadows, Kazuki tapped Hyou on the shoulder and tilted his head to the side as Hyou turned slowly to stare at him.

"Hmph, I suppose I deserved that." Hyou gave a half-smile.

Kazuki shook his head his eyes following the direction Enmei had gone. "I take it he doesn't like to lose."

"You could say that. To be fair, I don't think anyone does." Hyou said. "Names Hyou."

"I heard. Kazuki."

Hyou blinked at him owlishly. "Right, you're Lord Okimoto's son. Lord Isami's younger brother."

Kazuki smirked.

Hyou turned to head back to the main clearing Shinpachi waited in. "Take care, Enmei is a manipulative soul who will stop at nothing to be noticed. He is a place seeker."

Kazuki inclined his head. "Thanks for the heads up."

Hyou left the section of trees they stood in and Kazuki turned around only to receive a sharp punch to the face. He stumbled back and shook his head, and with a slow warning growl, he lifted his gaze.

Enmei had both his hands clenched in fists and facing him. "Think you can follow me and not know that I knew?"

Kazuki rubbed the thin trickle of blood that dripped from his nose. "Think you can manipulate this scenario and get away with it?"

Enmei snorted. "What scenario? This foolish game that so-called captain sent us on?" The male's gold eyes ran over him and Kazuki shivered under that intense gaze.

'Easy. Remember your father's training to show no emotion to a rival or enemy.' Taizo said.

'I remember.' Kazuki stated. 'It feels as though he is looking right into my soul.'

'Pfft.'

Enmei smirked. "You are a new trainee with no business here. Not to mention the brother of the idiot hiding in the forest. Go back home to your father, you have no place in the guard."

"So you say," Kazuki said. "Time will tell." Despite his wanting to show Enmei the error of his words, Kazuki did not want to humiliate the family by settling the situation with fists. He turned and began his treck back to the beginning. It was almost evening by the time he reached the clearing, and as he exited, his eyes landed on the captain who had not moved an inch. He could have sworn that Shinpachi's eyes were gold with black where the whites should have been. But after he had blinked, those eyes were once again the usual gold of their clan.

Kazuki shook his head as he counted how many had already been discovered. _'___Were my eyes playing tricks on me?'__

_'___No, I saw it too.' __Taizo said quietly. _'___It seems as though he can see things that we cannot.'__

Shinpachi's back was stiff when Kazuki passed him and he assumed he was angry with their progress or lack thereof. With a sigh, he took a seat leaning against a tree trunk. Ose walked over and sat down next to him. "You lasted much longer than I did." The young male glanced at him. "What happened to your face?"

"I was caught unawares," Kazuki said. "It is naught."

Ose shrugged. "I think I was caught within the first hour." He laughed at himself. His eyes moved to where Shinpachi stood and he took a deep breath. "He hasn't moved at all. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew he was alive, I'd swear he was a statue."

Kazuki smirked. "He is watching."

Ose turned his blinking eyes to him as though shocked. "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not."

Their eyes moved to Shinpachi's back and they sat there for the evening as more students meandered into the clearing. Morning came and went when finally Isami exited the treeline with an amused look on his face. Shinpachi nodded to him and then stepped in front of Enmei who exited next, a clear look of self-satisfaction on his face.

Enmei stopped and glanced up into the darkened angry gold eyes. "What?" He asked.

"I do not take kindly to those who do not follow instructions," Shinpachi said.

Enmei's eyes narrowed and he glared at all those seated behind the captain. "I don't know what they told you-"

Shinpachi's snarl interrupted him. "They had no need to tell me anything. I saw everything the minute you left the clearing." The captain's arms crossed over his chest and he frowned. "Unbeknownst to you, I see and hear everything as though I were standing next to you. Remember when Seitarou mentioned there are eyes everywhere, and to be wary and alert?"

Enmei rolled his eyes. "You can't have eyes everywhere."

Shinpachi lowered his face to Enmei's. "Oh, I can. And I do." He gave the male a sweet sticky smile that caused Enmei's face go white. "You are dismissed from my lessons, seeing as you stated you think this a game. Go report to Seitarou, if you are lucky he will allow your continued training if not, you will have to seek it elsewhere."

Enmei stalked past the captain looking sick to the stomach and he glared at all the other students seated in the clearing. His eyes fell onto Kazuki and he hissed between his teeth as he did. "This is not over."

Kazuki snorted. "Clearly."

Shinpachi turned once Enmei had left the clearing. "I hope no other thinks this is a game?"

All shook their heads quickly.

"Good. Isami, you did well hiding. Had Enmei not cheated, you would have been discovered."

Isami laughed. "I know, I saw how close Kazuki and Makuchi got to me. Enmei went in the wrong direction."

Shinpachi nodded. "We are finished for today. I will see you all back at the barracks tomorrow morning before sunup."

Kazuki pushed to his feet and made to exit the clearing but the captain spoke softly. "Wait a moment, Kazuki."

Kazuki's steps faltered and he turned around curiously.

Once they were alone, Shinpachi spoke. "You did well to not retaliate against the cheap strike Enmei made against you."

"I almost went at him."

"But you didn't. That is commendable in itself." Shinpachi glanced over to the young male beside him. "Do you feel the change in the air?"

Kazuki saw what Shinpachi was looking at and he nodded his head. "Do you think they are alright?"

Shinpachi stared in the mountain's direction for several long minutes before he spoke. "I can see no evidence to state otherwise. Your brothers will be fine."

Kazuki twitched. "They both went?"

Shinpachi nodded his head. "As did my son Tadayo."

"I had hoped they would convince Lord Genjiro to remain behind and leave the matter to the home guard," Kazuki said.

"Lord Genjiro likes to get his hands dirty. If the matter directly threatens his clan and his home, he will do whatever it takes to protect it." Shinpachi placed his hand on Kazuki's shoulder. "Go, take some rest. The next few weeks of training will drain you."

Kazuki glanced once more in the direction of the mountains before he nodded and turned to leave the clearing. He looked back once more and gasped surprised when Shinpachi was already gone.

The only sounds he heard were the soft chuckle from his inner spirit and the rumbling of the earth under his feet as he walked towards the barracks house in silence.


	4. Chapter 4 The Shadow is Released

Chapter Four

The Shadow is Released

Manami frowned as he followed the other home guard up the side path leading to the dark thundering mountain on their right. He shivered despite the fact that he was not cold, but from the hissing and soft whispers that drifted down through the trees beside them, as though restless spirits warned against their trek to the shrine that sat on the top. At the head of the group were two large burly guards armed to the teeth with spears, swords, and maces, ready to strike anything that came from the dark forest on the side of the mountain.

Directly behind them were Lord Genjiro, their lord and clan leader, standing tall and proud and so confident in their journey, he seemed undisturbed by the darkness around them despite the sun trying to penetrate the clouds overhead. The shrill whistling as the wind forced out of the treeline made Manami shiver again. His eyes moved to the Lord's son who walked beside his father also filled with that sured confidence that he himself did not feel.

Somehow he had been forced to follow behind the guard to watch for any followers rather than his usual task of protecting Chijimatsu, Lord Genjir's son and heir to the throne. Manami shook his head and glanced at the heads of the other home guard who marched in front of him. His heart twisted and he swallowed nervously. Swearing under his breath, he now wished he had been given his grandfather's inner spirit. That useful tool of premonition would be extremely useful right about now.

_'___Unsatisfied with me?' __Came the voice of his own spirit in his head.

_'___You have proven to be exceptionally useful, but you cannot foresee the future as Kazuki's spirit can.' __Manami sighed.

_'___True. So listen to your brother's words.' __Nari said.

_'___I have, and I even went to Lord Genjiro last night.' __Manami grunted as he stepped over a hole in the path.

As they rounded the side of the treeline Manami gulped as his eyes traveled up the dark path leading to the shrine. The journey would take them well into the next night but that wasn't what caused him to gasp. The trees were leafless, dead and sticking into the air like fingers reaching for the sun. It was as though fall was the season rather than the summer that had only just begun. The shadows loomed on the path more effectively than the trees could cast, but giving his younger brother a startled look, without the sun there shouldn't be this much of a shadow being cast.

Manami reached out with his free hand not holding his spear and gripped Hisashi's arm tightly. He hissed between his teeth. "This is madness."

Hisashi stepped back and ripped himself free from Manami's iron grip. "Silence."

Manami growled. "Nothing good can come of this. We must convince them to abandon this expedition. "

Hisashi whirled on Manami and put his face close to his elder brother's. "Lord Genjiro insisted that we investigate this disturbance. Go back if you desire. But, know this Manami, that if you discard your duty, you will forfeit your place and rank."

"You honestly think I care about that?" Manami said softly. "My rank means nothing if Lord Chijimatsu falls to whatever this thing is. Do you not feel the evil that wafts from up there?"

Hisashi snorted but grinned widely. "Age has certainly affected your mind, brother. Perhaps it is time for you to retire and live your life in the quiet of your pathetic house."

Manami drew his mouth into a tight line and narrowed his eyes. "You seem to have forgotten your place, little brother."

Hisashi's grin grew. "Have I? As the firstborn son, it was supposed to be you who inherited grandfather's spirit, not our youngest clumsy brother. Perhaps you are only jealous."

Manami looked at Hisashi with astonishment written clearly on his face. Usually, he was able to keep the shock or anger from his features but Hisashi had always known how to push his nerves and cause him to stumble. "Jealous? You're delusional." He said. Sure, the ancient spirit would have aided him further in his life, but it was clear that his grandfather's spirit was not intended for him. His hard work and dedication with his own inner spirit had worked perfectly in his long life, he was not dissatisfied in the slightest.

Hisashi smirked and turned on his heel. "You should go home to your lovely mate and young pup, brother. It seems as though danger is not in your heart. You dishonor our kind by showing your terror as clearly as one would facing a great rampaging dragon."

Manami scowled but drew his lips into a tight line. It would do no good to get into an argument with Hisashi now when they were supposed to focus on protecting those they were charged with. As he lowered his gaze to the ground at his feet to recollect himself from his anger, his eyes widened in alarm.

The dirt at his feet swirled in circles, not in the fashion it would should the wind blow it, but in slow spiraling motions as though the dirt itself was stuck in a clay cup. His mouth dropped open and he lifted his gaze to stare at the path where more of the substance rotated around the home guard's legs and feet. It appeared as though none of them noticed or if they did, they ignored it. Frowning, he released a sharp whistle into the air.

Immediately the guard stopped and turned to stare at him. Weapons lifted towards the treeline alarmed that Manami had seen something they hadn't or heard some foul creature that slipped their hearing range. The guard's eyes drifted to the path and some stepped back startled while others almost stumbled as they tried to escape the swirling dirt.

Hisashi stormed back and shoved Manami forcefully. "What is the meaning of this?" He snapped.

Manami released a sharp snarl and braced himself when his younger brother tried to shove him back again. Hisashi almost lost his footing when he tried to force Manami off his feet but it was like trying to move a firmly embedded tree rooted in place by thousands of years. "Look around you, fool!" Manami said. "There is evil here and you are the only one who doesn't see it."

Hisashi released a sharp bark of laughter. "Oh, dear brother, you are the fool. Did you think we came up here to face a gentle breeze? We came here to defeat this great threat. If it's the great dragon that resides up here only by the good graces of our lord and master, then we shall smite him and be done with it."

It was Manami's turn to laugh. "I am no fool. If you think that defeating a great aged beast such as Ryuokotsusei will be an easy feat, you are sorely mistaken. This evil is not from his power but from something far more sinister. Can you not feel it?" He was flabbergasted that Hisashi could not feel the fel energy.

"I feel nothing."

A slight stirring of the guard caused both brothers to turn and swallow nervously as Lord Genjiro approached them. "This delay is for what reason?"

Manami made to step forward but Hisashi cut him off. "My foolish brother has been frightened by the soft movement on the ground caused by the breeze."

Manami bit the inside of his cheek to hold his tongue.

Lord Genjiro was a bulky male, with long silver hair and glinting gold eyes that would make your soul shrivel if they looked at you the wrong way. He was tall and his armor around his great frame made him seem all the more burly than he actually was. His muscled arms bunched when they crossed his chest and he stared at both of his guards. "Explain!" Lord Genjiro snapped his molten eyes flashing in anger in Manami's direction.

Manami almost swallowed his tongue at the anger directed his way. "This slight breeze as Hisashi calls it is, in fact, ancient demonic energy, Lord."

Hisashi snorted in his throat but earned himself a glare from Lord Genjiro. "We have the power of the Gods at our fingertips. We are also called demons by the humans, Manami."

_'___As if I didn't know that.' __Manami thought silently.

_'___Be careful of your phrasing, Manami.' __Nari said.

"We are descendants of the Gods, lord, but we have not had to utilize our powers since the war of your grandfather, Ken'yu. Our powers are rusty and untried against what I feel is on this mountain." Manami tried to explain.

"I have faced the great demon dragon that resides on this mountain by my good graces. This faint trace of energy is, in fact, a gentle breeze compared to Ryuokotsusei's. Your worry and fear are for naught." Lord Genjiro snarled softly, his words held an edge that indicated no further argument was to be uttered.

Hisashi smirked. "I fear that my brother has delayed us enough. Perhaps he should return home?"

Lord Genjiro turned his fiery gaze to Hisashi. "He is charged with overseeing my son's safety. Are you saying you are more capable of watching out for his well being better than one who is fifty years your senior?"

Hisashi stepped back and bowed. "No, my lord."

Lord Genjiro clenched his teeth and Manami saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. "Both of you are to remain at the back and watch for danger." Turning, the lord waved his hand for the other guards up the path.

Manami shook his head. He had angered Lord Genjiro yet again with his worries and now his place in the home guard was more threatened than that morning. If he weren't careful, he could find himself locked up in the castle cellars or worse dead if he continued on the way he had been.

Hisashi hissed. "You fool!"

Something in Manami snapped. He had enough of the disrespect from his younger sibling. Faster than the space of a breath, Manami spun on Hisashi and had him tightly gripped by the throat and lifted off the path, his eyes flashing in his fury. "You would do well to remember, brother, that I am the head of the house when we are not in father's presence. I am your senior and superior in all manners including power. You are no match for me, and if you continue your insolence, I will have to show you none too gently as I did once before just how different our energy levels are."

_'___Easy, easy.' __Nari hissed feeling the rage fill him causing his primal side to rear its ugly head.

Manami snarled and released Hisashi who fell to the dirt path choking and sucking air into his lungs. He spun away from his younger brother and ripped his spear out of the dirt path and followed the guard who almost vanished behind the shroud of black that seemed to reach out and engulf them. He paused only a moment, taking a deep shuddering breath before he closed his eyes and stepped through the invisible wall that seemed to sit there.

His eyes snapped open and he gasped at the sheer lack of light in the area. It was as though night had fallen and no moon sat in the sky. His breath came out of his mouth fully visible as if all the heat of the world had suddenly vanished and he shuddered on impulse. _'___By the Gods.'__

Nari released a snarl in his head as the energy filled with malice and hatred filled his host's veins. _'___Manami-'__

_'___I know, I feel it.' __Manami clenched his eyes shut and every muscle in his body tensed as he tried to hold back the feelings that tried to worm into his heart. It was like black fingers reached into his chest and squeezed the breath out of his lungs and gripped his heart in a cold vice grip. Gasping against that flood of emotions that rushed through him, he clenched his fist and felt his spear shaft snap in his hand.

_'___Manami-too much.' __Nari hissed. _'___This place, I do not know if I can hold back this evil. It enshrouds everything.'__

Manami felt his power flare to life as he tried to hold back the flow of evil from filling his soul. If this evil was able to penetrate him it could touch his spirit and both would be doomed. His energy pulsed as he fought against that corruption, silently praying to whatever God that would listen to give him assistance.

Able to breathe slightly easier as that cold horrific touch seemed to move from him, Manami shivered and fell to his knees taking deep breaths to calm his furiously racing heart. _'___Nari?'__

_'___It's alright. Just get this done quickly. This thing feeds off hatred, anger, and pain. I can hold it back for a short while before it drains me after that it will be up to you.'__

Manami nodded and pushed to his feet, despite wanting to stay on the dark path. He blinked and allowed his inner spirits energy fill him some more to give him the sight he would need to penetrate the thick black of the forest. Lifting his gaze to where the sky should be, searching for any sign that there was still a sun, he grimaced and forced one foot in front of the other. In all his five hundred years he had never experienced anything quite like this and he had no idea how to deal with the flood of hate that lingered in the very air he breathed. _'___The very air is odious.' __Manami said.

_'___It is filled with malevolence and so much resentment it is difficult to contain.' __Nari breathed.

Forcing himself forward, Manami kept his hears on high alert as he followed the murmurs and voices of the other home guard who were making exclamations of their own in regards to the darkened forest. Shaking his head, Manami almost bumped into a guard as he approached, his silhouette not even visible in the thick smoke like blackness that surrounded the party.

Manami immediately started searching for Lord Chijimatsu and Lord Genjiro and found them crouched next to a tree seemingly trying to gain their bearings. They spoke softly to one another and carefully Manami approached. Lord Genjiro's eyes lifted to his. "Fetch me the captain."

Manami nodded and glanced at Chijimatsu who shook his head to his guardian indicating he was fine. Turning, Manami carefully moved to where the captain of the home guard stood, rigid and stiff near the edge of the path they stood on. His senses were on high alert as he scanned everything his eyes could make out in the gloominess. His head turned only slightly as Manami approached him.

"Lord Genjiro has requested your presence," Manami whispered afraid that if he spoke any louder it would give away their precarious position.

Manami allowed his eyes to roam over the great beast of a captain who stood several heads taller than him. His hair was an ashen grey color and his face bore several scars from his time on the battlefield ages ago with Lord Genjiro's grandfather. He was an ancient male whose eyes reflected the pain and misery of loss. His large broadsword hung at his waist and his eyes were a deep-set gold. Masakuni was the eldest in their entire clan, only by four minutes as his twin brother stood on the other side of the path mirroring the exact position the captain did.

"Keep alert," Masakuni spoke so softly had Manami not been standing so close, he would have missed it. "Take my place."

Despite his having fallen out of favor with Lord Genjiro, Masakuni always listened to what Manami had to say. It was more likely because the elder assumed he held his grandfather's spirit which was not the case. Masakuni moved away and his brother immediately fell into step with him. They were like shadows of one another. Feeding off one another's energy as if they were one and the same person. Masamichi was an exact replica of his elder brother Masakuni, the only way to tell one another apart were their faces. Where Masakuni held his battle scars deeply ingrained on his face, Masamichi's was blemish-free.

Manami glanced over his shoulder briefly when his brother's aura flooded the area, filled with annoyance and anger towards him. Shaking his head, Manami returned his attention to the forest and focused on anything that would indicate the approach of something.

Masakuni walked into the middle of the path and silently waited while everyone turned their attention to him. "You all are to remain here. Keep watch and do not allow anything to approach. Lord Genjiro and his son are going on ahead. Masamichi and myself go with them."

Hisashi gasped and walked to Masakuni but his words faltered when the captain glared at him. "You have caused enough of a disturbance. Remain here!" The guard snarled.

Hisashi quickly backed away and glanced at one of his friends who was also in the guard. Manami snorted softly and continued his watch on the forest. Nothing stirred, not even the breeze seemed to be able to penetrate that ominous shroud that hung over them. Nari could feel his trepidation and he questioned his host about it.

_'___I only worry for Chijimatsu.' __Manami tried to sooth the frantic feelings from his inner spirit. _'___You are usually always so calm and collected, why are you so nervous?'__

_'___This feeling that hangs over you and the area, it makes me uneasy.'__

_'___Concerns?'__

_'___Yes.' __Came the strangled voice.

_'___What is it?'__

_'___Let us hope that this does not take them long to complete. Having to focus this much energy into keeping these overwhelming feelings from taking over is draining me rapidly.' __Nari said softly.

Manami frowned. It was easier to breathe than it had been when they first entered the area. _'___If it becomes too much, tell me. I will exit this area that seems to be encased with this aura and give you time to rest.'__

Nari didn't say anything, but Manami felt his spirits affirmation that the words were heard and understood.

Manami glanced up and tried to penetrate the thick cloud that hung over them but to no avail. The home guard were currently only halfway up the side of the mountain, far too far for Manami to be of any assistance should Lord Gejiro or his son Lord Chijimatsu where to find danger. Hopefully they would not encounter the dragon demon that resided further to the west of them. Ryukotsusei loved to fly around the mountains only swooping down to frighten the human's small encampment on the other side. He knew the power Lord Genjiro held and kept a respectable distance.

The day passed into the night without incident and for that Manami was grateful. He had traded places with another guard so he could grant his inner spirit time to rejuvenate some of his lost energy and it was almost midmorning by the time he reentered the dark shrouded section on the entire north face of the mountain. Manami frowned when he realized that the shadows were spreading and at a rapid rate. It almost appeared as though the dark cloud slithered its way through the trees, spreading down the sides and it was headed directly towards the place he called home.

Stepping forward, Manami glanced down the side of the path and watched horrified as the shadows descended right before his eyes. "Hells." He breathed.

Another guard approached him and followed his line of sight. "Is it night?" Came the soft question.

Manami shook his head. "It is only early morning."

The eyes narrowed. "Then the shadows should not be moving like that."

"Obviously." Manami shook his head but glanced at the male beside him. He was a newer member of the home guard, having only been allowed entrance a few years prior and he was proving to be useful when it came to the simple routines of the royal family's affairs.

The male wasn't as large as Masakuni or his twin, or as tall as Kazuki, but he was solid in stature. He was young and lithe with bright gold eyes and silver hair that hung about his mid-back. Unlike most of the guards, he preferred to wear his hair up in a tight bun rather than in the traditional topknot that the majority of the guards wore.

"Teruki, wasn't it?" Manami questioned.

The male nodded. "How much longer do you think they will be?"

"Depends on how big this threat is," Manami said.

"Will they come to get us if it is too much for them to handle?" Teruki asked turning his gaze to Manami.

"If they can," Manami remembered the male now. He loved to ask so many questions rather than remaining silent and watchful.

Before Teruki could ask another of his questions both stopped and glanced down at their feet when the path suddenly started to rumble with vibrations from the mountains protests. Manami turned around startled and lifted his gaze desperately trying to pierce the thick black smoke.

Several of the home guards scrambled to their feet releasing startled gasps or exclamations of surprise. Even Hisashi warily got to his feet and moved away from the side of the cliff face, frowning deeply.

A deep humming sound from within the earth caused everyone to turn their eyes to the path once again and the mountain shook as though it were releasing all its pent up energy in one smooth motion. A few guards gave shouts of surprise when they were knocked off their feet and Manami had to reach out and grip Teruki's arm as the path they were standing on started to split and break apart. Lurching forward, he dragged the young guard with him when the path suddenly vanished over the side leaving them blinking stunned.

Manami whirled around facing the direction Lord Genjiro and his son had gone. Another loud rumble flooded the area and all of a sudden they were blinded as the dark shadow withdrew up the mountain and they were bombarded by the shining sun. Cursing under his breath, Manami took a step forward but gasped when a sudden surge spiked in the air and the little hairs on the back of his neck rose from the intensity.

_'___Manami!' __Nari cried out as the whole area they were standing on pulsed and then stopped, and then pulsed again with a deep thrumming like that of a drum. The air picked up and seemed to be sucked up the side of the mountain and it was everything he could do to plant his spear into the ground and hold on as he was dragged by the force of it.

Hisashi cried out as he was pulled forcefully into a tree trunk and he grunted from the impact. "Hisashi!" Manami snarled.

Trying desperately to plant his feet firmly onto the ground, Manami cursed again. Just as suddenly as the air had seemed to inhale, it stopped and Manami scrambled to his feet when he fell to the ground. He started running then, towards his brother but another surge filled the air and his breath left him in a rush causing him to fall to his knees, desperately trying to fill his lungs with something, anything.

It was as though everything had suddenly stopped. Growing faint from his lack of oxygen, Manami lifted his eyes and gaped when he saw the shadow descending once again with so much air force behind it the shockwave caused the trees to crack, break apart and were ripped from the ground sending them flying into the air. The blast came first, knocking him flat onto his back as the explosion of energy rushed over the guards. He quickly rolled onto his stomach and attempted to get to his feet, but he had to crouch and dodge trees, roots, rocks and dirt as they flew down the mountain as though they were following after the shadow. Heaving air into his lungs, he only had time to gasp when he was suddenly struck in the back of the head knocking him into a daze. Falling forward, Manami watched horrified as the shadows reached long tendril-like fingers towards the party and then light exploded behind his eyes and everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5 The Soul's Ashes

Chapter Five

The Soul's Ashes

Kazuki walked towards his family's home when he felt the shuddering of the earth beneath his feet. At first, he wasn't sure he had felt anything at all until the earth rumbled more intensely. His steps faltered and he turned just as his father exited the hut and peered at the mountain, concern written all over his face. "Father?"

Okimoto frowned deeply, lines that were not there growing prominent at the fierceness of his furrowed brows. His mouth turned down and his eyes glinted as he inspected the happenings of the mountain his sons had traveled up the day before. He gave his youngest son a brief look before he reentered the hut, leaving Kazuki standing outside nervously. He had never encountered the earth shake before only having heard stories from his older brother's Manami and Hisashi who had experienced it a few times in their lifetime. Oh, he knew the effect it had when it shifted and cracked, causing the ocean to swell and surge with intensity.

Kazuki swallowed anxiously just as his father came back out with his mother following behind arguing with him.

"Okimoto, you can't," Chuya exclaimed as she ran behind him.

Okimoto growled loudly, shoving his sword into the scabbard at his waist. "Leave off, woman."

Chuya stopped and sighed, knowing her mate's stubborn determination. Once Okimoto had his mindset on something, it was near impossible to convince him to change his course. Her eyes fell onto Kazuki and she walked over to him just as Kihachi and Isami ran over.

"Mother!" Isami called out as the earth trembled under their feet again.

Kihachi ran over to his father. "I am going with you." He stated matter of factly.

"You will not!" Okimoto snapped spinning around on his son. His next words died in his throat when Seitarou and Shinpachi arrived behind them, their eyes hardened with their own determination.

Shinpachi shook his head as he approached the family. "It is best if you remain here."

Okimoto released a deep growl. "My son's are up there!"

Seitarou sighed as he placed his hand on the elder's shoulder. "They are not youths. What do you hope to accomplish once you are up there?"

Okimoto was about to say something when he saw Shinpachi whirl around to face the mountain and narrow his eyes. Those gold eyes widened suddenly and he gasped out, "Get down!"

Kazuki dropped to the ground just as the shockwave washed over the area. The sounds of splitting wood and tearing cloth ripped through the air. He grit his teeth and clenched his eyes shut just as his inner spirit gasped. _'___What is that?' __Kazuki asked Taizo.

_'___That is the effluvium of an old demonic essence that has been set free.' __Taizo hissed, his energy surging in response to the danger his host was being subjected to.

Kazuki covered his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his haori to dampen the stench that followed after the air surge and he gagged. His ears picked up Shinpachi's harsh words of "Miasma." As he too covered his own nose with his hand.

It took only moments later when the sky seemed to cloud over and immediately opened up releasing a heavy downpour. Shinpachi instantly got to his feet and quickly helped Chuya to her feet and waved her to the remains of the hut. "Quickly! Get out of the rain."

Isami and Kihachi helped their father up and Kazuki scrambled to his own feet when Taizo urged him to move quickly. _'___Get everyone to cover. The rain is contaminated with poison.'__

Kazuki quickly followed Seitarou towards the hut, glancing around quickly for signs of anyone who might get caught in the downpour.

Kazuki muttered under his breath as his eyes trailed to his shoulder when a hissing filled his ears. His haori was slowly disintegrating as the rain fell onto the thick linen cloth. He slipped under the overhang left by the roof and squinted his eyes to penetrate through the heavy rainfall. His head turned when his father started to angrily shout at Seitarou who was holding him back from running out of the house.

"Lord Okimoto, this is not the time to go rampaging up the mountain. When this rain ceases we will organize a search party." Seitarou snarled.

Kihachi walked over to Kazuki shaking his head. "Do you feel that energy in the air?"

Kazuki nodded his head, his eyes still locked on the rain. He could see the steam and spitting of objects as the poisoned water hit them and the ground sizzled in protest. "The rain is poisoned."

Kihachi sighed. "From the mountain no doubt. They shouldn't have gone up there."

Isami joined them by the door frame. "I thought Manami was going to try to convince them to not go."

"Try is the keyword. It is obvious he was not successful." Kazuki said.

Shinpachi glanced over his shoulder as he was wrapping a blistering wound on Chuya's arm. "Something filled with vengeance was released today."

All eyes fell onto him and remained silent.

"This thing we feel is filled with hate and wicked revenge. The air turns stale and the ground beneath us dies." Shinpachi's eyes were distant, almost as though he was not aware of what he was saying. The usual smooth voice was grainy and rough with a sharp bite on each word emphasis.

Seitarou frowned and walked over to his second in command."Shinpachi?"

"The spirits are restless. Can you feel it?" The voice hissed. "Something awakens, power against power, something from the ages of old, before our time."

Taizo gasped in his head. _'___That's his inner spirit speaking. Not to you, but to us.'__

Kazuki furrowed his brow. _'___To us, meaning-?'__

_'___Me and the other sentient beings within.' __Taizo hissed.

"Something sinister was released from a place that should never be visited, this darkness will consume all in its path." Shinpachi hissed through his teeth and blinked.

Seitarou knelt down and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Tell me."

Shinpachi shook his head. "This evil has woken us from our slumber, the skills we once possessed have once again been roused to aid our hosts in our places."

Seitarou gasped softly. "That's his inner spirit speaking." He said with understanding growing on his face.

Okimoto stepped forward as Kihachi and Isami glanced at one another. "Is that possible?"

Seitarou pushed to his feet. "I will have to go to the history room and find out."

_'___Tell them it is possible.' __Taizo urged.

Kazuki stepped forward. "Mine said it is possible."

All eyes moved to him.

Kazuki flushed slightly at the sudden attention. "It said that only the call of great evil can cause our primal sides release. The soul's ashes." Kazuki's mouth turned downward. _'___The soul's ashes?'__

_'___When the celestials intercede. They awaken our abilities and those skills flow through you so you can face this corruption.' __Taizo explained. _'___This has not happened in several millennia.' __

_'___But we already have abilities that we use.' __Kazuki was confused. He knew that he could see exceptionally well, hear things from a great distance, and then there was his grandfather's ability to call a blue electrical fire down from the skies.

_'___These abilities are granted by the God's so you can defeat the wakening of the demons.' __Taizo sighed. _'___There are different levels of power, you must train to be able to call on them.'__

_'___Doesn't Lord Genjiro already have access to this kind of power?' __Kazuki questioned.

_'___He does, why do you think he is able to lead the clan and hold his place as Lord?' __Taizo said.

Kazuki lifted his eyes as the others seemed to also be listening to whatever it was their own inner spirits were saying. _'___So you are saying that with these powers, we can stave off whatever this evil is and defeat it? That this thing that was released woke demons from the netherworld and released them on earth?'__

_'___Yes.' __Taizo hissed. _'___Now it is up to you to withhold your true and kind nature so that we do not become overwhelmed and twist into evil ourselves.'__

_'___How do we do that?'__

_'___Carefully.'__

Akiara knelt beside her mother and shook her head. "I don't like this." She muttered.

Seitarou grunted. "What is there to like? Whatever that thing was on the mountain, Lord Genjiro and his son have awoken it. That corruption will not stop here, it will spread to all corners of the earth."

Shinpachi placed his hand to his head and snorted. "Damn. I thought it was annoying speaking with your inner spirit in your head. This speaking through me is beyond frustrating."

Seitarou chuckled lightly. "Once this blasted rain stops we can organize a search party if our clan members do not return from the mountain."

Shinpachi slowly stumbled to his feet growling in annoyance. Kihachi and Isami both stepped forward. "We would like to join in the search."

Kazuki stepped forward much to his father's frustration. "Oh, no you don't!" Okimoto snarled at his youngest son. "You are staying here and assisting in rebuilding the hut, you little shits." He glared at his other two sons for emphasis.

Taizo snorted in his head. _'___What does he plan to do? Watch over you until you are a thousand years old? Tell him you cannot grow if he keeps treating you like a little pup.'__

Kazuki furiously shook his head. _'___Hell no. I have been on the receiving end of his fury. You do not go against father's orders.' __He shuddered as the memory of his one defiance flooded his head.

_'___Oh.' __Taizo chuckled softly as the memory washed over him.

_'___Manami has power already, doesn't he?' __Kazuki asked, poking his head out the door to peer up at the dark mountain.

_'___He has a strong sense of it, yes. But he has also been around for several hundreds of years. Manami was alive when your grandfather Hiromitsu was still around. That was over five-hundred years ago.'__

Kazuki nodded his head and looked over his shoulder to where his family gathered. By the back corner stood Seitarou and Shinpachi speaking softly to one another. _'___How do we train our abilities to get stronger? Right now, I don't think I could face and defeat a demon.'__

_'___You know the humans think of your kind as demons. It is because they do not have such long lives or the skills your race does. It frightens them.' __Taizo smiled.

_'___What is a human?' __He had heard the word many times in his short life, but he had never seen one.

_'___A living creature, similar to you. Yet they seem to lack the intelligence that your kind possess. Some are far more able than others and their lives are as fleeting as that of a fly. You are a descendant of the dog spirit, Inugami. The humans call you Inuyoukai. A dog phantom in their eyes.' __

_'___Interesting.' __Kazuki said. _'___So to train these abilities, where do we start?'__

_'___I will have to see what skills you have been granted and we go from there.'__

_'___How do you do that?'__

_'___By touching your tree of life. It is the tree you saw when you entered the pools on your coming of age day.' __Taizo said. _'___Look, the rain is slowing.'__

Kazuki turned to face outside and breathed a sigh of relief when the sun broke through the clouds. The warmth it spilled on his face actually made him smile.

Seitarou and Shinpachi were moving then. "I will gather a small group for the search. Lord Okimoto, we will find your sons and our Lord and master."

Lord Okimoto glowered at them. "Find out what the hell happened up there. I don't like this turn of events and we should not have to worry about facing great demons from the netherworld."

As Shinpachi passed Kazuki their eyes locked and the captain's eyes widened slightly as if a sudden understanding of things came to him. He stopped and motioned with his hand for Kazuki to follow. Confused, he exited the hut quietly while his family were talking amongst themselves.

Seitarou paused and turned to stare at his second in command curiously.

"You said the Soul's ashes," Shinpachi spoke quietly. "My spirit informs me that it is the calling of the gods for our powers to be woken. How is it you know this phrase?"

Kazuki shrugged slightly. "I don't know. That's just what mine said and I repeated it."

Seitarou frowned. "That would mean that your spirit has been around for a long while. Whose soul did you inherit?"

Taizo instantly grew alarmed. _'___Not a word.' __He breathed.

Kazuki frowned. "I think it is my own spirit that was woken. How it knew about that soul's ashes thing, I know not."

Shinpachi frowned.

Taizo breathed a soft sigh. _'___One thing to remember, Kazuki, is to not make known your inner self or the name of it.'__

_'___Do you think they are evil?' __Kazuki was even more curious now.

_'___You can hold trust in some, but I would keep a tight leash on that trust.' __Taizo said. _'___To trust anyone absolutely could mean your downfall.'__

Seitarou shook his head and gripped Shinpachi's arm. "Come along, leave the poor pup alone." He chuckled.

Shinpachi gave Kazuki another look before he allowed Seitarou to pull him away.

Kazuki shivered on impulse. _'___Is it dangerous for anyone to know about you? Even Manami warned to not let anyone know that I house an ancient spirit.'__

_'___Oh, they know about me. Everyone has an inner spirit that assists in their growth. They know that Hiromitsu's ancient spirit is around here somewhere, in one of Okimoto's pups, but they do not know ____**who**____holds it.'__

_'___So being an ancient spirit means what exactly?' __Kazuki now showed genuine curiosity.

_'___That I have been alive for far longer than even the oldest of your clan's elders.' __Taizo said. _'___My knowledge would be something of a great benefit for many.'__

Kazuki blinked as his mind swayed over the other elders that their clan had. There was his father who was at least a thousand years old, and then Lord Genjiro who must be around that same age. His grandfather had been over fourteen hundred years old when he died. _'___So just how old are you?'__

Taizo chuckled. _'___I have no idea.'__

Kazuki snorted. _'___As if I believe that.'__

_'___I have never counted how many years I have been a sentient being within a host. For me, it does not matter.' __Taizo said.

_'___So you just go from one host to another after they pass on to the underworld?' __Kazuki lifted his gaze to the mountain that still remained dark despite the sun trying to penetrate the clouds that hung over the summit.

_'___Yes.'__

_'___Is that not a tiring existence for you?'__

_'___You ask a lot of questions. You have many years of your life to ask them.' __Taizo muttered.

_'___I may not if this great evil of demons have been released upon the earth.' __Kazuki snorted.

_'___But you will not die today, or tomorrow.' __Taizo stated firmly that left asking more questions at an end.

"Kazuki!" Okimoto called and he whirled around quickly. Wiggling his nose at that all too familiar look, he broke into a light sprint to his father's side. "I want you to go with Isami and collect freshwater and then go hunting for food for tonight's meal."

Isami walked out of the hut and wrinkled his nose at the command. Knowing that they had no other choice but to follow their father's orders, they slipped inside and grabbed their swords and then the water skins to do what was bidden of them.

As they left the hut, Isami whispered. "He is all irritated."

Kazuki nodded his head. "He is worried about Manami and Hisashi."

Isami smirked. "What for? They have been alive for so long already, they aren't novices."

"Still, his oldest, his heir is up there facing this great danger and he is not. That alone is enough to cause hesitation on the chances for survival." Kazuki said. He was still trying to discern what the Soul's Ashes actually meant but his inner spirit was now as silent as it had been the year prior. Shaking his head, Kazuki followed Isami to the river and stopped furrowing his brow.

The once crystal clear water was now filled with debris from the surrounding buildings and the water below it was murky and grey. "Well, this might be a problem."

Isami glanced around and nodded in agreement. "I suppose we can go to the river." The river sat much farther than they really wanted to travel, close to the boundaries between the ocean and the human's establishment.

"We should inform father that we will need to go to the other source of water," Kazuki muttered under his breath.

"No, father will only say it's too dangerous. Then we will be stuck having to assist Kihachi with rebuilding the hut."

Kazuki grimaced. "True, perhaps we should only inform him if he asks."

Isami gave him a wide grin. He held his arm out allowing Kazuki to go first and the youngest rolled his eyes. "So what shall we hunt? We could get fish, or hunt for deer."

"Or rabbit," Kazuki added in.

"Is rabbit all you ever think about?" Isami closed one eye and peered at Kazuki.

"I like rabbit," Kazuki smirked.

They maneuvered their way through the large field that held the wheat that made up the cereals of their daily break fast food through the rice fields that were now flourishing as summer had arrived. The better part of the day had already past when they reached the banks leading to the ocean on the far side of the island. The western breeze that flooded over the ocean caused Kazuki to pause for a moment and relish in its cool embrace.

Isami stopped and waited with a knowing smile on his face. This was the furthest his younger brother had ever been away from the main residence and he recalled his first visit to the ocean. Manami had taken him on his first tour of the island they lived on and it had been one of adventure and pretend battles against unknown foes. He cleared his throat after a few minutes and Kazuki gave him a quick bashful look and ran up to him. "Sorry," Kazuki muttered.

Isami chuckled softly. "It's alright. I was just remembering my first trip here with Manami."

Kazuki smiled. They made their way up the rocky incline that had broken apart from years of erosion from the water of the ocean and slipped to the other side of the mountains that loomed above them on their left. Their eyes wandered up the large structure lost in awe. The sun had finally set and they decided that it was perhaps time to find shelter.

"Do you think father will be angry at our absence?" Kazuki asked.

Isami snorted. "Probably. But there is little we can do. We need clean water."

They spent the night in quiet contemplation and silently hoped that their older brother's had already returned home. Unknown about their condition, when morning finally arrived, Isami was the first to stand and stretch out his stiff muscles. Kazuki had kept his eyes locked on the ocean, watching the waves crash against the shore, and the birds dive for fish or other sea creatures that lay beneath the surface. His inner spirit was still silent, but he could feel the appreciation Taizo held at the experience Kazuki went through. It was a feeling mostly, one of gratitude, and calm reverie.

Kazuki finally tore his eyes from the ocean when Isami stirred beside him and stretched. "Ready to go?"

Kazuki nodded and pushed to his feet.

"Best if we keep quiet. The human's settlement is nearby and we don't need to have a confrontation." Isami whispered.

"Are they that bad?" Kazuki asked following his brother through the sticky mud on the side of the bank.

Isami smiled. "I've only heard tales. Never come face to face with one though."

Kazuki shivered slightly as those words passed over him. If his gut was any indication of something to come, it definitely tightened as a warning. He grunted. "We might today." He said and winced.

Isami stopped and turned to face his brother. "Oh?"

"I got that same tight feeling just now, as I did the other night." Kazuki swallowed the lump in his throat.

Isami sighed. "Fantastic." He turned and trudged through the marshy section of land. "I only heard stories about grandfather. What's it like?"

Kazuki frowned. "What is what like?"

"Having an ancient spirit inside you?" Isami asked.

"How would I know? I mean, up until I found out about housing it, I thought everyone had an inner spirit like mine."

Isami chuckled. "Mine is my own spirit. Apparently the soul keepers discern who gets what spirit from our ancestors."

Kazuki gave his brother a speculative look. "Soul keepers?"

Isami nodded. "The twins. They hold the spirits of the dead in a soul well and divide them if the host has already passed on. If the host is still alive, they assist by pulling the sleeping spirit inside let's say, for example, father and give that portion to a son. If there are multiple sons, then small parts are taken and it helps in waking our own."

"How do you know all this?" Kazuki snorted.

"Did you not pay attention to the lessons mother told us growing up?" Isami gave his brother a disbelieving glance.

"Apparently not well enough." Kazuki chuckled at his own shortcomings. "Have you met the twins?"

Isami nodded. "When I came of age. They helped in waking my own inner spirit and I inherited a little bit of father's spirit."

"So why was I given grandfather's spirit?" Kazuki muttered under his breath.

Isami shrugged. "Maybe the twins had seen something in you that was greater than the rest of us, or your own inner spirit was weaker and it needed grandfather's to help you grow."

They finally stepped out of the marsh and onto solid ground when voices came to their ears and Isami immediately dropped to the ground to hide in the tall grass. He pulled Kazuki down with him. "Humans." He hissed between his teeth.

Kazuki gave him a curious look. "They can't be that bad." He whispered.

_'___Oh, they can be.' __

Kazuki jerked in surprise. _'___I thought you had run into hiding.'__

_'___No.' __Taizo muttered annoyed.

Unsure as to why his inner spirit seemed irked, Kazuki lifted a brow and tapped the side of his head when Isami shot him a look. Their eyes peered through the tall grass and Kazuki felt his mouth drop open when he saw several females walking along a dirt path holding large clay jugs on their heads. A few of the women held straw or wicker baskets and they all spoke in hushed voices.

They were dressed simply, wearing a thin linen wrap. The colors were muted browns or grey, nothing elaborate. As they passed Isami and Kazuki's hiding spot, they caught a strong odor and Kazuki placed his hand over his nose with wide eyes. The smell was the same as salted stale water mixed with dirt and refuse. Intermixed with the smell was a perfumed oil of some sort and Kazuki nearly gagged.

Isami smirked behind his hand his eyes crinkling in amusement. Once the women had passed, Kazuki dropped his hand and shuddered. "By the gods, do they all smell that bad?"

Isami chuckled softly. "The men are worse I hear. The humans only seem to bathe once every few months it seems. Why? I have no idea."

Kazuki couldn't imagine anything worse than the smell he had just experienced, but Isami was more experienced than he was. "Where are they going?"

"Probably to the stream near the ocean. We are going to the river that is fed by a waterfall." Isami pointed to an area near the mountain where it seemed a little foggier than the current spot they crouched in. "The humans don't go there because they think it's haunted."

Kazuki snorted but followed his brother, staying low to the ground. They moved quickly and once they were far enough from the humans they stood and slipped into the shadows closer to the mountainside. "This is good practice too."

Kazuki's eyes widened with a sudden realization. "Oh, gods." He breathed. "We were supposed to have training this morning."

_'___Exactly.' __Taizo snarled.

Isami nodded his head. "Nothing we can do about it now. Come on." He waved his hand and pushed forward.

"What if they send a search party?" Kazuki grunted.

"If we don't return by nightfall, they probably will." Isami finally let his guard down when they came to a thick cropping of trees. "So we best hurry."

Kazuki sighed. He knew that they would both get an earful and probably a nasty correction adjustment from their father and a good chastising from their mother. Groaning, Kazuki slipped through the crevice in the side of the mountain behind Isami and a loud rumbling drew their attention.

Isami grinned widely. "We are almost there. Manami took me here once."

Kazuki glanced around him at the damp walls and felt the spray of water that filled the area. As they approached the river that led down to their right, Kazuki frowned when he noticed the leaves strone around the area. They were a dark green and had an almost slimy look to them. He bent to his knee and picked up one of the leaves and it fell apart between his fingers. Dropping the leaf to the ground, he wiped his fingers on his hakama and lifted his eyes to Isami who was staring at the water.

They glanced at each other briefly before Kazuki walked over. Here the water was also dark and murky looking. It was as though some great beast underwater had disturbed the sand and mud below causing it to taint the water source.

"So what now?" Isami growled softly.

Kazuki shook his head and glanced around the hidden oasis. "Look." He pointed to the treeline. His eyes fell onto the dying trees that fed off the water source.

"If the trees are dying this quickly from the water, we can't drink it," Isami muttered his eyes distant as though he were speaking with his own inner spirit. "I suppose there is nothing we can do, but to go back home and face fathers ire."

Kazuki winced. "Can we just hide here for a few days until he calms down?"

Isami snorted. "Best if we face it now before he loses his mind with worry."

"So if the water is polluted will the animals not be also?" Kazuki asked as he made his way to the exit of the small oasis.

Isami nodded his head.

"So what will we do for food and water?"

"I don't know. Let's head back home and find out what Lord Genjiro has to say." Isami muttered quietly.

Their mood now bleak, Isami and Kazuki made their way back to the marsh and Kazuki stopped when the human voices reached his ears. It seemed as though they either didn't know about the contamination or they didn't care. Furrowing his brows, he crouched and inched towards them slowly and quietly.

Isami hissed at him but dropped low to the ground when Kazuki ignored him. "What are you doing?"

Kazuki pushed the long grass aside and peered out. The women were seated around the small stream, folding the clothes they had washed, and two of the women were splashing in the narrow water without a care in the world. Another woman poured water from her clay jug and took a drink and then handed it to another who sat close to her. Curious now, Kazuki glanced over his shoulder as Isami came up beside him.

Kazuki pointed and lifted a brow in question.

Isami placed his finger to his lips and shook his head with a scowl.

Kazuki blew air through his nose but moved to his left to give the humans a wide berth. He was curious now and he had to find out if the water in the stream also contained that murky appearance. Isami reached out to grab his haori but missed and then cursed under his breath.

Having no choice but to follow his reckless younger brother, Isami quickly slipped into step and they took a wide arc to avoid the human's detection. Kazuki paused beside the path and glanced to his right where the women were and then kept low as he sprinted across to the trees on the other side.

Isami growled in annoyance but raced after him. Slowly, they maneuvered through the trees and finally, Kazuki moved them far enough away from the females to the edge of the stream. Isami raced over and glared at his younger sibling. "This is dangerous, idiot."

Kazuki gave his brother an apologetic smile. "Perhaps, but look." He pointed to the crystal clear water with his finger.

Isami peered down at the water and snorted. "Hope this is worth it."

Kazuki nodded and kept his hearing trained for any indication that more humans were around. "Their hair and eyes are so dark." He murmured.

Isami uncorked his water skin and nodded. "Hard to read what they are thinking about."

"Their ears are round too," Kazuki said. His eyes moved to the direction the humans were and he silently watched. They couldn't see anything from their location, but ever curious, Kazuki wanted a closer look at them.

"Stop standing there like a fool and fill your water skins." Isami snarled in annoyance.

Kazuki pulled his bag off his shoulders and pulled the three skins from inside. Kneeling beside the stream, he filled the water in silence. They froze though when voices came from behind them and Kazuki whipped his head around to stare.

Isami quickly got to his feet and pulled Kazuki up with him. "We have to move."

Kazuki's eyes drifted across the stream and nodded. "We can hide there."

Isami followed his brother's finger and both darted across the water, and Isami turned horrified when Kazuki slipped on the slick stones and plummeted into the cold water. "Kazuki!" He hissed. His eyes widened when three human males came out of the treeline and headed right for the stream, unaware that his brother was there.

Kazuki froze and tried to mold himself against the stones, clenching his eyes shut tightly.

_'___As if that is going to help you.' __Taizo snorted in his head.

Kazuki's eyes flew open and he blinked, trying to remain as still as he could. The humans were positioned only a few feet away from his current location, and he hoped that they would not catch sight of his spot behind the rocks.

_'___Don't move.' __Taizo whispered.

_'___I wasn't planning to.' __Kazuki swallowed. He was somewhat confused. Were the human's eyesight so bad that they couldn't see him? His golden eyes caught Isami's who was looking frantically through the trees on the other side of the stream. It wasn't particularly dark in the spot but where Kazuki was currently it was considerably lighter and he shivered. Lifting his head slightly, he tried to peer at the humans who stood maybe five feet away. They had their backs to him and seemed to not have a care in the world.

More sounds from the forest caught Kazuki's attention and he widened his eyes as more voices came from the forest. The men turned and faced the new men who exited the trees and they greeted one another casually. A few laughed light-heartedly and clasped one another's wrist in the traditional warriors greeting.

Kazuki tried to slip further down and cursed the shallow water. He had a rock directly embedded in his spin and his one foot just below the surface of the glittering blue kept slipping on the rocks. If he weren't careful, he would shift and cause a splash and give away his precarious position.

His heartbeat furiously in his chest and sounded like loud war drums in his ears. Kazuki's breath came in near panicked puffs.

_'___Relax. So far you have remained undetected. Slow your breathing.' __Taizo tried to sooth.

_'___Easy for you to say.' __Kazuki closed his eyes again. Not like doing so would help him any, but if he didn't see the humans, maybe it helped in them not seeing him. It took all his willpower to actually open his eyes when he heard a gasp and then a loud exclamation behind him. Snapping his head around, he came face to face with a sword aimed right at his face and he winced. More sword points joined the one aimed at his face and he gulped, pushing to his feet with his hands spread out in as much of a non-threatening manner as he could muster.

_'___Kazuki-' __Taizo breathed.

_'___What do I do?' __He panicked.

_'___Stay still. Do what they say or it may mean your death.'__

Kazuki swallowed and faced the five humans that now stood in front of him. They seemed confused and blinked nervously at one another briefly before a male moved forward. "Who are you?"

Kazuki flinched at the loud rough voice and odd accent. Warily he released the breath that had gotten caught in his throat. "Ka-Kazuki." He stammered. Silently he cursed his fear.

One of the humans came up beside him and stared long and hard at his features. Kazuki wrinkled his nose as the scent of heavily oiled leather and stale brew wafted into his senses.

The first human who spoke frowned. " **What** are you?"

The human standing with his face almost pressed right against his shook his head. "He looks like an animal. Look at his eyes."

Kazuki glanced down at the much shorter male and furrowed his brow.

"Are you sure it's a he?" Another man spoke and got a couple of chuckles from his companions.

The larger male who spoke stepped forward, an uncertain concerned look on his face. He was tall, but Kazuki was at least two hand widths taller. Kazuki wasn't sure how to answer the question. They were different races for sure, there was no doubt in his mind, but he didn't know what the humans referred to their kind as. He had heard his brother say that they were thought of as demons, but were they? Glancing at the other males, he frowned. All men and women held evil in their hearts. It was only how they treated others if they were considered good or not.

"Are you an animal spirit?" A smirking human asked crouched behind the taller man.

"Spirit?" Kazuki asked curiously.

"You know the ghost of a lost soul?" The humans snickered at the condescending tone of the crouched male.

The man who Kazuki assumed was the leader shook his head. "Take him, maybe the holy one can tell us who or what this animal is."

The four males surrounded Kazuki and he threw a worried glance in the direction his older brother was. _'___Do I run? Follow?'__

_'___Can you fight them off with your skills?' __

_'___I don't know. I've never seen them fight before.'__

_'___Then follow. If you are not certain you can get out of this then use your brain and devise a way to escape when they least expect it.' __Taizo muttered.

Something sharp poked Kazuki in the back and he stumbled forward. With an annoyed snarl, he spun and shoved the sword out of his back. The human's steps faltered but the sword once again rose. Kazuki was pulled off his feet by someone tugging on the pack and he landed hard on his back his breath knocked out of his lungs. Kazuki made to push into a sitting position but he froze when five sets of swords pointed in his face again more forcefully than the first time.


	6. Chapter 6 On The Edges of the Void

Chapter Six

On The Edges of the Void

He stood on the crevice looking into the murky black hole and shivered. Dark blue waves threatened to crush him as they roared towards his prone form standing precariously on the edge of darkness. He could hear a faint voice somewhere in the fog, but it was so soft he couldn't be sure if he was imagining things.

His eyes widened as the wave loomed right in front of him and he almost took a step back but he remembered the imposing hole.

_'___-nami.' __That soft voice uttered again on the edge of his consciousness. _'___Manami!' __It said more urgently.

He gasped and sat up blinking as he looked around. His hand went to his head and he groaned softly.

_'___About time.' __Nari said.

_'___What happened?' __Manami asked as he glanced around at the rest of the group. Immediately he got to his feet and sprinted over to his brother's unconscious form and he knelt down beside Hisashi.

Several of the home guards were unconscious and three of them were missing. Shaking his head, he gingerly touched the large goose egg at the back of his skull and winced. _'___Don't touch it, idiot.' __Nari snarled.

Manami glanced around the area noticing broken trees, and a sloppy mess of mud had taken out what was left of the path. His eyes caught sight of movement and his mouth fell open. Masakuni carried Chijimatsu's limp body and Masamichi was assisting Lord Geniro carefully through the thick sludge.

Shouting out, Manami raced to them and helped the captains with their charges. A few other guards who were conscious moved to assist and then Manami could assess the injuries. Masakuni had a large gash on his forehead that bled freely. Masamichi nursed a busted nose and a torn-up chin. Lord Genjiro limped and held himself in a way that indicated cracked ribs, and Lord Chijimatsu had a broken arm, a large cut on the side of his face and a swollen lip.

Masakuni sunk to the ground and took a slow deep breath. "We should not have come here."

Manami turned and frowned. "What happened?"

Lord Genjiro spun and growled. "Bind the wounds and then we return home."

Masamichi gripped his shoulder and whispered. "We will speak of it later."

Manami nodded and glanced once more at his brother who had yet to waken. Shaking his head slowly, Manami ripped a piece of his haori and used his flask to wet the cloth, handing it to Masakuni who leaned against a broken tree his narrow and wary. Furrowing his brow, he knelt and prodded the captain for other injuries before he moved to Masamichi who stood like a stone sentinel over Chijimatsu and his older brother.

Manami set Chijimatsu's arm concerned that resetting the bone didn't even register movement from the young male. He used a little bit of honey to stop the wound from bleeding and to make sure it didn't get infected and passed the small jar to Masakuni who watched intently. Nodding his thanks, the guard applied the honey to the cloth and pressed it to his head, wincing slightly.

Once he was certain that they had non-life-threatening injuries he moved to Hisashi who was finally beginning to stir. It was the hand twitch that gave away the slow awakening of his younger brother. Manami scooched over on his knees to his brother's side and started poking and prodding searching for injuries. Hisashi grunted and pushed Manami's hands aside without opening his eyes. "Stop poking me."

Manami smiled. "Just making sure you are alright."

Hisashi opened one eye and peered up at him. "Not dying." With Manami's assistance, he sat up and groaned as a wave of dizziness washed over him. "Hells, what happened?"

Steadying his brother from flopping over onto his side, Manami shook his head. "We will get a report later." He whispered in his brother's ear. "Masakuni and Masamichi will fill us in."

Hisashi let his eyes wander over the group with a frown. "Lord Genjiro?"

Manami turned his head in the direction of their lord who stood overlooking the mudslide. His face held a scowl and his arms were crossed over his chest. Hisashi's eyes met his when he turned his gaze back and they shared a concerned look. Muttering under his breath he asked about the young lord and Manami nodded his head towards the unconscious male.

"Turi, Kenji, and Hozumi are missing. I suspect they went over the edge with the mudslide." Manami muttered but jerked when Genjiro's eyes slid over to them as though he had heard them clearly. He pressed his mouth together in a tight line and went silent.

Hisashi frowned and looked at Lord Gejiro a look of concern filling his features but before he could say anything, the Lord turned and glared at them all. "Time to go." He snapped. "Gather those not yet on their feet and carry them if you must."

Masakuni shared a look with his brother and was pulled to his feet. Masamichi gathered Chijimatsu's limp body and they fell into step with Genjiro who spun on his heels and began down the path without waiting to see if the others followed. Manami helped Hisashi up and allowed the younger male to lean on him as he steadied his equilibrium. The rest of the home guard quickly followed suit and they made their way down the broken path.

Hours went by when they finally stepped onto the forest path at the base of the mountain. To his surprise, Manami wasn't even weary. He felt he could keep traveling for days before he started to feel fatigued. Surprisingly enough, he hadn't even broken into a sweat with the distance upon which they had traveled and he furrowed his brow. _'___What has happened to us?'__

_'___Do you remember your grandfather?' __Nari asked him.

_'___Vaguely.' __Manami admitted.

_'___He was able to call upon his stored energy to use abilities or to remain awake for long periods before he was exhausted.'__

_'___Is that what is happening to us?'__

_'___From what I have discerned, our abilities have been rekindled and vitalized.'__

Manami frowned deeper. _'___Abilities? You mean like grandfather's firestorm?' __A shiver went through him at the thought.

_'___Abilities like those, yes.' __Nari smiled allowing that to flow through him to his host.

_'___Are you grinning?' __Manami blinked. He was able to feel certain things from Nari but never had an overwhelming sense of it before.

_'___Our powers have been roused, Manami. We can now once again use those gifts granted by the Gods.' __

He breathed softly in startled excitement. That rush gave him chills. _'___That means that we can all do what Lord Genjiro can do?' __It was more a statement for himself than a question.

_'___Be aware, Manami, that if these powers are used for ill purpose, that will reflect upon me and it can turn us to the very evil we were woken to stop.' __Nari advised.

_'___Understood.' __Manami nodded his head and glanced around at the group who all held similar looks of shock and surprise. It took them another half a day to finally come to the main house and several guards filtered into their homes while others went to the healers. Genjiro immediately went into the large structure that was the royal house and disappeared.

Manami was about to follow Masamichi with Chijimatsu but Masakuni stopped him. "We will watch over the young Lord while you take some rest. Go to your mate and young son and make sure they are well." Their eyes wandered over the buildings that held signs that the shockwave from the mountain had come this far. "Meet me tonight at the barracks and we will speak of what occurred."

Manami nodded his head and turned his eyes in the direction of his hut he shared with his mate, Nanako and their young-year-old son, Reizo. With a smile, Manami turned towards his hut but before he could head in that direction, his brother Kihachi ran to him followed by their father. "Thank the Gods you are alright."

Okimoto held that familiar stern look that held barely contained anger. With a faint sigh, Manami turned to them and waited. "Hisashi?" He asked.

"We are alright. We have scouts already out searching for three missing home guards, but the rest of us sustained minor injuries." Manami informed his father.

"Nanako and Reizo are with Akiara and Mother." Kihachi began.

Okimoto glared at his son. "Isami and Kazuki are missing."

Manami immediately became concerned. "What? When?"

"I sent them for water and food two days ago and neither of them has returned." Okimoto snarled.

Masakuni frowned. "That is unusual?" He questioned.

"Kazuki would not have gone far. I suspect he followed Isami on one of his adventures. You know how he is father." Manami muttered softly.

Okimoto snarled under his breath.

Holding up his hands, Manami sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll go look for them."

Masakuni frowned. "You need to rest."

Manami gave them a slight smile. "I'll be fine. I can find them quickly."

When Okimoto nodded and turned away, Kihachi leaned over and whispered. "He is in an uproar. I don't think I've ever seen him this angry before."

Manami grunted. "I have. Those two had better have a good explanation for their absence otherwise they are in for a world of trouble."

Kihachi flinched at the grave tone in Manami's voice and gulped. "Want me to help?"

Manami shook his head. "Stay here, there is no need for father to worry over yet another son." With a heavy sigh, Manami went to his hut and grabbed his sword and a bow and arrow. Gathering a few supplies for his search, he exited and stopped staring at Masakuni and Seitarou waiting just outside. "Captains." He inclined his head.

"Shinpachi went on ahead," Seitarou said. "He has tracked their progress from the river headed towards the ocean."

Manami glanced in the direction of the ocean that lay to their west. Furrowing his brow he pondered. "Why would they go there?"

"The water source here has been contaminated by what was released yesterday." Seitarou hissed.

"Then Isami would have gone to another water source." Manami nodded his head in understanding. He quickly searched his memory and snapped his fingers, but he felt his blood drain from his face in sudden fear. "Hells." He cursed.

Seitarou lifted a brow and shared a look with Masakuni.

"They went to the other side of the mountains." Manami snarled. "Isami you fool!"

Masakuni shook his head. "They would head to the danger of stumbling into humans for water?"

"Any excuse for Isami to explore." Manami shook his head disapprovingly. "Perfect excuse for him to go in search of clean edible water. He went to the waterfall no doubt."

Seitarou let his eyes travel in the direction he knew the falls to be and nodded. "I know where it is."

Manami shook his head. "Too many would draw too much attention. The last thing we need is to have the humans taken notice of us. They do not know we exist and I would like for it to remain as such."

Masakuni nodded his head. "The dragon's presence keeps them from exploring this side of the mountains. So far we have gone undetected. But if you stumble across the humans, you alone may not be enough to hold them off."

Manami snorted. "They are weak."

Seitarou held up his hand. "Perhaps so, but we do not know what they are capable of. We have not had to face them, and I would prefer to keep it that way. However, if your brothers were discovered and captured we will need all who are skilled to free them."

The chill flooded Manami's veins at the thought of his brothers being captured by the creatures on the other side of the mountains. He had scouted and watched them for hundreds of years and he knew how callous and horrifyingly unpredictable that race was. Since his first mission and watchful gaze to only recently, they had multiplied and held a small army of able men for defenses. "By the Gods." Manami breathed. "Very well." Turning towards the mountains, he led the way through the wheat fields towards the rice fields that separated their establishment from the fury of the ocean.

By the time they reached the ocean banks, they noticed Shinpachi standing as still as stone watching the ocean. He waited and when they approached him, the shadow guard turned and Manami gasped. The guard's eyes were unlike any he had seen in his life.

Seitarou smirked. "See anything?"

Shinpachi blinked and scoffed as his eyes once again became the traditional gold of their kind. "Their trail leads down the bank to the outcropping of rocks below the ledge. It appears as though they settled here for the night and proceeded to the other side when it grew light again."

Manami stared at Shinpachi for several minutes not sure if he had seen what he had seen, but he could have sworn the shadow guard's eyes had been completely black with only the iris being gold. It was as if the shadow that had loomed over the mountain had flooded the captain's sclera.

Shinpachi's eyes met his and he frowned. "It is of no concern, Manami." He said. "We all have abilities that have been awoken. I am no different."

Manami nodded his head. His eyes drifted over the vast ocean waters and he sighed. "Shall we?"

Shinpachi gripped Masakuni's arm in a warrior greeting and he squinted at the slow healing gash on his head. "I didn't expect to see you here." Manami glanced over at the two.

Masakuni snorted. "Let's keep that a secret from Masamichi shall we? I tend to be the more reckless twin to his dismay."

Shinpachi grinned widely then, something Manami had only seen twice in his entire existence. Seitarou noticed the look and chuckled. "Careful Shin. You'll give poor Manami a stroke if you keep surprising him."

The captain smirked and clapped Manami's shoulder. "Be at ease. I am only discovering certain abilities that have been presented. You will soon discover your own strengths."

Manami's mouth fell open but he remained silent as he followed Seitarou and Masakuni down the bank to the sandy shore below. By the time they maneuvered around the strone rocks and muddy ledge, it was early morning. Seitarou held up his hand and knelt beside a set of footprints. His eyes traveled the progress and frowned. "Seems as though they went this way and then stopped on their way back."

Manami bent down and stared at the tracks. "Those marks are from Kazuki." His eyes trailed towards the path where the prints moved to. Tilting his head to the side, he could heart a slight trickling and he pointed. "There is a stream that way."

Seitarou was already moving, keeping low in the tall grass and soon they were on the other side of the path heading in the direction through the trees to the trickling stream.

Shinpachi and Masakuni took on wary stances when their eyes fell onto the scuffled marks on the ground. "There was a struggle here."

"Humans." Shinpachi hissed.

Manami's fear grew. "So they were captured."

Seitarou pointed to a set of prints closer to the treeline. "Yet it was only one."

Manami's head snapped over to where Seitarou looked and he sprinted to it. "Isami." He stated at the marks.

"So it was Kazuki who was captured," Shinpachi whispered, his eyes turning towards the direction the humans went in.

Manami shook his head. "Kazuki is more cautious than Isami, how is it he was taken?"

Masakuni took a breath. "We do not know how long the humans have had your brother, best if we make haste."

"You're right." Manami nodded. They followed the prints through the forest and it led to another path heading more inland. By the time they came into sight of the human's settlement, it was well into the early night. They had still yet to see any signs of Isami or any indication of Kazuki's whereabouts.

They laid on the ground peering intently at the glittering huts that signaled candlelight and on the outskirts surrounding the settlement were hundreds of heavily armed guards. "Curses." Manami hissed between his teeth.

Seitarou nodded. "This is beyond our capabilities without knowing what skills we possess."

Shinpachi watched the village intently for several long minutes before he pointed towards the far end. "I see Isami over there near the forest's edge."

Manami and Seitarou both snapped their heads in his direction. Masakuni narrowed his eyes squinting towards the location Shinpachi indicated. "I don't see anything."

Shinpachi turned his head to stare at them and he smirked. "Perhaps not, but I can."

All eyes stared at the shadow guard blinking in stunned silence before Seitarou smirked. "Those eyes of yours will be of great use, my friend."

Masakuni shook his head. "Perhaps Kazuki is on that side of the settlement. We need to make our way carefully."

Manami snorted. "Can you be sneaky with that great large form of yours?"

Masakuni growled. "Watch it pup."

Both Shinpachi and Seitarou smirked. "Come. If we go that way we can hide within the bushes."

Shinpachi shook his head. "I will go."

Before any of them could say a word, they blinked and stared at the spot Shinpachi had been. It was as if he had never been there at all and no traces of where he went remained. Manami gasped. "Where-?"

Masakuni and Seitarou shook their heads. "Regardless, let us move our positions to Isami's location."

Without a word, the three guards slipped through the dark quickly and quietly, moving in the direction Shinpachi had indicated Isami to be. It took them long into the late evening to slip around to the other side of the large settlement and finally, they caught sight of Isami who was crouched in the trees. His eyes widened when they caught sight of them and he gasped quickly lifting his finger to his lips and he pointed to the wandering sentries.

Manami nodded signaling they were aware of them, and as quickly as they dared, they moved to Isami's side. Isami gave his brother an apologetic look and Manami bared his teeth. "Where is Kazuki?"

"They took him further in. They had him bound and gagged." Isami whispered but quickly snapped his mouth shut when the human sentinels drew close. Masakuni frowned and placed his hand on his sword hilt. Seitarou's hand quickly touched his and shook his head. As soon as the guards moved away, Manami then glanced at his younger brother. "What were you two thinking?"

Isami shook his head. "We went to the waterfall only to discover the water was tainted. On our way back Kazuki heard the stream and we went to check out that water source." He began. "The water there was fine so we started filling our skins. When we heard the humans approach behind us, we ran across but Kazuki slipped on the rocks. They found him and took him here. I followed as close as I dared, hoping to help him escape, but there wasn't an opportunity. Then it was too late when more guards showed up."

"How long has he been held for?" Seitarou asked.

"Since midday yesterday. I haven't seen an opening to sneak in and help him." Isami shook his head dismayed.

Manami tried to pierce the darkness that surrounded them but everything from where they were right to the village was foggy and dimly lit. None of the huts candles gave off enough light to actually see anything. There were probably seventy guards posted at the weakest points to the entrance of the settlement and sentries scouted the areas that were less vulnerable. It was almost as though they expected danger or an attack from some unseen force and they were fully prepared to face it.

Manami scowled but he almost released a startled cry when Seitarou quickly slapped his hand over his mouth at the sudden appearance of Shinpachi. Masakuni's eyes widened and Isami bit his tongue.

Shinpachi grinned widely and peered at them. "He is almost at the center of their village."

"How is he?" Seitarou asked, lowering his hand from Manami's mouth.

"He fares well. Although, they have him caged up like an animal with a sturdy lock and chain." Shinpachi pointed in the direction that Kazuki was.

"Can we sneak in and release him?"

"I took a look at the lock but without the key or some way to cut through it, he is in there until they release him." Shinpachi shook his head.

"So we must fight our way inside?" Manami growled softly.

Shinpachi sighed but nodded. "It is a bolt and lock with chain. Similar to what Genjiro uses in his cellars."

"Fantastic. I was hoping to get him out of there without revealing ourselves with a massive army." Manami grunted.

"We need to think up a strategy to ensure his safety while one of two of us goes back to get more men," Seitarou said. With a glance at Shinpachi, he raised a brow. "How many able bodies do they have?"

"That can fight? Several hundred. They have learned a lot since I was a youth."

"How many are close to where Kazuki is?"

Shinpachi shook his head. "About a dozen. Right now he is the center of attention. Their pups, women and men are all staring."

Manami scowled. "I'll head back with one other to get more men so we can free him."

"I will go back in and make sure he remains safe. I swear he knew someone was there with how he was looking around." Shinpachi lifted a brow as he recalled his investigation. As they devised their plan to infiltrate the human's establishment, they suddenly heard a loud clang of a bell and loud shouts from inside the village. Immediately, their eyes turned and they stared suddenly worried that something terrible had happened.

Several of the guards stationed outside spun around and raced into the village and the sentries took on a warriors stance, ready for any kind of fight. Seitarou and Shinpachi shared a quick look, and Masakuni placed his hand on Isami's shoulder to prevent him from recklessly racing into the village to rescue his brother. Manami trained his eyes intently trying to pierce through all the bodies he saw running around, and his heart pattered nervously in his chest.

They were not at all expecting what was about to happen next.


	7. Chapter 7 The First Bubble

Chapter Seven

The First Bubble

Sharp tips from the human's swords kept poking his back as they led him bound and gagged back to their settlement. The male he suspected their captain spoke low to the man next to him in a hushed voice, but Kazuki smirked as he picked up every word. There were several times that Kazuki swore he had ground his teeth down holding back the urge to shove the humans back from their constant poking and prodding, but his inner spirit warned against such reckless behavior.

One human held the sword his father had given him, inspecting the metal with genuine appreciation on his face. Another human held his grandfather's sword at his side. He couldn't believe that he had been captured by the humans, and they were extremely noisy.

_'___How do they sneak up on anything?' __Kazuki mused to his spirit.

_'___They don't?' __Taizo said.

_'___And they have been alive for this long?' __Kazuki shook his head and earned himself another poke in the back. He released a low growl in warning, despite his gag and the man glanced to the male next to him.

The human's establishment came into sight and a quick flash to his right caused him to look. He could see the trees faintly in the dim light and fog and for a brief moment, he caught sight of his brother's silver hair. Another flash from his brother's sword signaled that Isami had followed them. Kazuki inclined his head slightly, such a mere bit that even the humans didn't notice.

His eyes widened when they came to the large gates protecting the human's village. Almost every inch of the large stone fence stood a human guard heavily armed with leather chest plates, large shoulder guards, shin guards and various weapons of all makes. He counted almost a hundred before they passed through the wooden gates and was led down a dark dirt path to the middle of their village.

It was still very early in the morning and the road was empty minus the guards that walked around. Kazuki was led to a large iron enclosure close to a well and he was shoved forcefully inside before the iron door clanged shut with a heavy thunk. He watched as they clamped the door closed with chains and a rather large iron bolt and notch mechanism he was unfamiliar with.

"Come here." The leader said.

Kazuki warily walked to the side and almost recoiled when the human reached out for his face.

"I'm only taking your gag off." The human scoffed.

The man spun him around after the gag had been taken off and untied his hands, seemingly satisfied that Kazuki was caged.

"I trust you saw all the guards? It would do you no good to cry out for help. My men are trained and vigilant so no rescue will come to you."

Kazuki snorted in amusement.

"I'll have water and food brought to you when it's morning." The man said before he walked away with his traveling companions. Almost immediately two guards posted themselves about a foot away from his cage and Kazuki sighed.

_'___So now what?' __

_'___Now we wait.' __Taizo muttered.

_'___For?'__

_'___Either a way to present itself for us to get out of here or until help arrives.'__

Kazuki shuddered when he thought of the trouble he would get into once he returned home. Not to mention the fact that the humans now had both his weapons. One given to him by his father on his first day of training, and the other given to him as an heirloom by his grandfather. Being captured was certainly not something he wanted, but now he would need to be rescued and the dishonor of that left him feeling much like a small pup.

Taizo chuckled in his head. _'___We really need to work on your balance.'__

_'___Obviously.' __His slipping on the rocks was humiliating enough and he was sure that Isami would take every opportunity to remind him of his folly whenever he got the chance. Isami would more than likely tell his friends in the barracks too after all was said and done and he would never live it down. He flushed in embarrassment.

_'___You best settle and rest for a bit. I will take this opportunity to go through what skills you have and see if there is anything useful to use against this heavy iron cage.' __Taizo informed him.

_'___What kind of skills do we have?' __Kazuki asked as he sat down in the middle of the cage that was barely large enough for him to be comfortable in.

_'___I don't know yet. Whatever skills you were given after that energy release from the mountain I will find out as I search. For what you do have currently, you can do a few things your grandfather had access to.'__

_'___So sight and hearing is a given. Sense of smell.' __Kazuki went on wiggling his nose as the human's smell wafted over him. _'___Grandfather's electrical fire.'__

'Which would not be wise to use in an iron cage.' Taizo muttered.

Kazuki frowned as he felt his spirit inside almost like a fluttering of a butterfly touching the face. _'___What other skills did grandfather have?'__

_'___He had an energy pulse that would grow stronger the longer he held it in and once released could silently oscillate outward and knock back any in its path.'__

_'___Ooo.' __Kazuki smiled.

_'___He also had a strong sense of forewarning, which I don't really remember him using a whole lot. He could see certain things that might happen but not necessarily what will happen. Hiromitsu could also summon a whip that he could wrap around his enemies and draw them closer to danger if he desired. Or pull a friend from danger. But he really didn't use that one that much.' __Taizo muttered absently as he searched through the skills they possessed.

Kazuki felt himself drifting off into a light slumber as Taizo went on and the voice grew distant. He jerked up and lifted his head surprised that he could sleep at all being in the current situation he found himself in and glanced around at the area.

Beside the large pool and the tree sat a large white dog and Kazuki blinked as those red eyes swerved over to him. _'___Oh!'__

The large white dog growled and stood up at his presence and walked over. It lowered and peered at him with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

_'___Taizo?' __Kazuki blinked rapidly.

The dog's nose nudged him and knocked him over, causing Kazuki to shout out and flail his arms in a circle to stop his plummet to the water, but just as it had on his coming of age day, he did not feel a splash as he fell. Instead, he lifted his head and gasped as he was once again presented in the human's village.

_'___I did not give you permission to come to the pools.' __Taizo chastised.

_'___Sorry.' __Kazuki said abashedly. _'___I didn't intend to go there. I thought I had only fallen asleep.'__

_'___Hmph.' __Taizo snorted.

In that brief space of him dozing off and falling into the water inside the pools, it had become light out. Humans were beginning to exit their huts and move around the dirt paths carrying items to go about their day. Anytime a human passed the cage they stared with a mix of fascination and fear. The two guards who had been placed by his cage would ram their spears into the earth and the onlookers would quickly move away without a second glance.

A crowd was growing down the middle path and several young human pups watched from a safe distance, causing Kazuki to frown.

_'___Human's call their young, children, not pups.' __Taizo informed him.

'Does time move so quickly in the pools? How long was I actually out for?' Kazuki questioned curiously, lifting his head to the sky that was losing the dark grey of night to the brilliant blue of day.

_'___You were out for an hour I suspect before you came to the pools.' __Taizo snorted. _'___You were in the pools for another hour before I sent you off.'__

_'___It felt like mere seconds since I dozed to when I woke.' __Kazuki shook his head in amazement.

_'___Looks like you have an immunity to certain poisons, which may come in handy one day.' __Taizo said changing the subject. _'___You can also gather your grandfather's electrical fire into a ball and hurtle it at an opponent.'__

Kazuki glanced at the iron cage walls looking for any kind of weakness.

_'___Best if you do not test that one out while you are in an iron box.' __Taizo snorted at Kazuki's line of thought.

Kazuki grunted in disappointment. His eyes lifted when the guard from the night before came up to the cage carrying a plate and a clay mug. He placed them just inside the iron bars and waved his hand. "As promised, food and water."

Kazuki glanced down at the steaming bowl of what appeared to be rice and egg? _'___Is that an egg?'__

_'___Looks like it.'__

_'___They cooked it.' __Kazuki groaned softly.

Taizo chuckled. _'___Just eat it. You need something in your stomach.'__

_'___What if they did something to it?' __Kazuki lifted his eyes once more to the human guard and speculated his options. At the current moment, he had no options so with a sigh, he pulled the bowl closer and lifted it to his nose, sniffing intently.

The human tossed him a wooden implement and Kazuki stared at it for a few minutes confused as he scooped the rice out with his fingers and proceeded to eat it. The man shook his head and walked away as Kazuki smirked in amusement. He then picked up the scooping utensil and used it to eat the rice and egg, chewing slowly.

_'___You're a bit of an ass.' __Taizo mused, chuckling.

_'___Well he is keeping me caged like an animal, why not seal that opinion by eating like one.' __Kazuki sniffed the water and took a long drink. He hadn't realized just how thirsty he was. His bowl nearly went flying in the air when a loud clang right beside his head caused him to jolt in surprise.

One of the guards whirled around and snapped at the boy throwing rocks at the iron bars. Kazuki narrowed his eyes at the youth and the boy quickly ran away to the group of children standing by a hut. They crouched down and started giggling like mad and Kazuki shook his head.

Kazuki turned back to his meal and quickly finished it and then glanced at the guard standing on his left. He inspected the warrior's stance and noticed that the male seemed slightly uncomfortable in all the armor he wore. Furrowing his brow, he noticed the guard favoring one of his shoulders as it was held slightly lower than his other one. The guard was beginning to sweat heavily under the heat that the sun was releasing and he shifted from one foot to another as the day progressed.

Looking to his right, he noticed the same thing with that guard, yet without the shoulder issue. He never realized before just how much heat the sun actually let off, their race never seemed to sweat or get chills. Since he had come of age, the frequency of his getting ill due to the sudden weather changes, it was no longer an issue. His iron cage, however, seemed to suck in all the heat and bombard the small area with the heat and he lifted his head to the roof. Shrugging his shoulders, Kazuki watched the various people move about the village going on about their day and then as the afternoon hit, he was once again face to face with the male guard who had given him food.

He held a plate of roasted meat and another clay cup of water which was then placed just inside the bars. The human crouched down to his level. "The holy one will be here by tomorrow to see you." He stated.

"Holy one?" Kazuki asked, which to his amusement caused both the guards to turn their heads and stare at him.

"She will know what you are." The man smiled.

"I am no different than you are." Kazuki frowned.

The man's eyes wandered over his features. "Do you not know what you look like?"

Kazuki furrowed his brow. "Our ears and eyes are different, but what else?"

"Your hair, the fact that you show no signs of discomfort in the hot sun and you are pale-skinned, not tanned like that of us, humans." The man shook his head.

"I bleed as you do, I can die as all men can." Kazuki snorted. "Besides the obvious differences, we really are not any different than you are. We feel we mourn, we live and we die, we fight and we love."

"So then answer my question, what are you?"

"I do not know what humans refer to our kind as." Kazuki sighed.

"What do your kind call yourselves? You look like an animal, and yet you speak as a human does."

"Have you never come across my kind before?" Kazuki frowned confused.

"Like you? No. You do not look like any demon I have ever come across, and yet you do not look like any fae sprite either. You are not human, that much is obvious."

"I am not a human," Kazuki confirmed. "From what I have heard from others of my kind, humans call us demons or spirits. I cannot confirm or deny that as I do not even know what we are called. We are known as youkai."

The man frowned and nodded. "You look nothing like anything from our tales or scrolls. Well, whatever you are, we will find out if you are evil or not tomorrow when the sun rises."

"Are you certain I will still be here in the morning?" Kazuki smirked as the man turned to look at him.

"If you are able to break free of this iron cage and manage to sneak past all the stationed guards, I will be highly impressed. If you do manage to escape, perhaps the lesson alone will be worth the trouble." The man chuckled as he walked away.

Kazuki furrowed his brows when he felt the air stir close to him and he glanced over curiously. _'___Do you feel that?'__

_'___I do. It's a shadow walker.' __Taizo muttered softly.

_'___One of ours?' __Kazuki perked up instantly.

_'___The energy is the same, but I don't see him anywhere.' __Taizo admitted.

_'___Who?'__

_'___Unknown. I am not familiar with this ones energy flow.'__

They sat in silence for a few moments before an exclamation of shock caused Kazuki to jerk in response. _'___What's wrong?'__

_'___Nothing is wrong, but this will be very useful to get out of this cage.' __Taizo muttered in wonder. _'___We just need to get the guards to go away and we can use it.'__

_'___What?'__

_'___This thing I found that you have been given access to.' __Taizo said sheepishly.

_'___That is not at all helpful.' __Kazuki growled.

_'___It is a bit difficult to explain, but it can get you out of here.' __Taizo grinned widely in excitement. The thrill was so intense Kazuki actually released a shiver.

_'___So how do we get the guards to leave so we can test out this new thing you are so very excited to try?' __Kazuki smirked.

_'___I trust that they are almost ready to retire. They do not have the stamina your kind do and thus they must rest each night or take shifts.' __Taizo explained.

_'___Really?' __Kazuki blinked. _'___How do they get anything done resting so much?'__

Taizo snickered. _'___Your guess is as good as mine.' __

The late afternoon soon drifted into night and the two guards glanced at one another before taking a look at the male in the iron cage. Kazuki had laid down on his side and had his eyes closed to narrow slits to see if they would take the bait and to his great delight, they dropped their guard and slowly moved away. Although a few times they looked back to actually make sure that the silver-haired person was, in fact, staying put.

Once the guards had vanished around the side of a hut, he kept his eyes closed for a few moments longer to ensure they had left and then he smiled slowly. _'___Alright, what do I do?'__

_'___Focus on your hand, do not be afraid once you see your hand swirling with energy. It will feel a little tingly but it is nothing to worry about.' __Taizo explained filtering energy through his host.

Kazuki got to his feet and put all his concentration on his hand and he released a soft gasp when his hand started swirling with a green fog-like substance. _'___Now what?'__

_'___Keep focusing.' __Taizo said.

Nodding and doing as he was told, Kazuki blinked when the green fog started to take shape and he snorted at what now lay in his hand. _'___Seriously?'__

_'___Yes!' __Taizo cheered in his head.

Staring at the wobbly but flimsy green bubble in his hand he drew his mouth in a tight line, deadpanned. _'___What am I supposed to do with this?'__

_'___Poke the lock.' __Taizo grinned widely.

_'___Poke the lock?' __Kazuki repeated now not so sure his inner spirit was not mad or worse ridiculously stupid.

_'___Yes poke the lock before that bubble gets any bigger.' __Taizo urged him.

True to his spirits words, the green wobbling bubble in his hand just kept growing larger and larger. Reaching his hand out warily, he touched the iron bolt and lock and snapped his hand back when it started to sizzle and hiss. His mouth dropped open and he stared wide-eyed when the green bubble actually melted the lock into a puddle of molten green liquid. To his horror, the green goo actually started to eat away at the gate next and parts of the ground.

_'___Uh, how do we stop it?' __Kazuki asked taking a step back.

_'___I have no idea, but it might be a good time for you to move.' __Taizo stated excitedly.

Taking a quick look around, Kazuki jumped over the steamy puddle of green sputtering ooze and darted to the nearest hut. Placing his back up against the wall, he slid over to peer around the corner, but to his surprise, not a soul was around. _'___Did all the guards go to sleep?'__

_'___I don't know. This very well may be a trap, but I would probably run for the exit. Mind you as carefully as you can.' __

Nodding his head, Kazuki kept to the dark parts of the huts and slid around the side of the gates. He froze when he almost bumped into a guard posted there. His head snapped behind him though when a loud gong sounded in the center of the village and he almost released a gasp of surprise.

The guards at the gates immediately raced into the settlement and Kazuki almost grinned.

_'___I would probably run if I were you.' __Taizo said.

_'___I agree.' __Immediately Kazuki raced for the trees and he glanced over his shoulder when he heard shouts filling the night. If he could make it to the forest, giving the humans the slip would prove to be easier than having to outrun them in a wide-open field.

He lifted his head when he heard a familiar whistle and he let his eyes travel over the forest until he saw Isami and Manami exit the woods. "Run!"

Kazuki pushed his feet harder and he quickly glanced over his shoulder when loud shouts could be heard. Snapping his head back around, he stumbled on the chunky dirt but he was able to catch himself before he took a dive to the ground. He heard the distinct twang of a bow and the hissing sound of an arrow and he looked over his shoulder and managed to dodge the arrow.

Manami growled and notched his own bow with an arrow and lifted it high into the air. Releasing it, Kazuki followed the arrow's path as it shot high into the air and over his head. He heard shouts of alarm rise behind him as the dull thunk of the arrow hit the ground causing the humans to pause in their pursuit.

Manami notched another arrow and released that one the same as the one before and then lowered his arms and pulled Kazuki behind him. "Go."

Isami and Seitarou quickly grabbed Kazuki and pulled him into the woods and Manami bared his teeth at the humans who started running again. Reaching into his quiver, he pulled four arrows out and notched them. With a snarl, he aimed those high into the air also and paused as his eyes caught sight of Shinpachi amidst the humans.

A couple of humans tripped at the sudden appearance of the stranger and a few slid to a stop. Manami released the arrows and grinned when Shinpachi stepped back just as they hissed in the air and dropped right in front of him. "Be mindful humans. Go back to your lives and ignore what you saw."

A man shoved his way to the front. "Unfortunately, this is something we cannot do. If we are to live peacefully, we must know what dangers lurk on this island."

Shinpachi turned his head slightly as Manami approached, his arrow cocked and ready to release it on the man standing inches from the shadow guard captain. Manami lowered the bow slightly. "We have co-existed for hundreds of years without you having knowledge of our kind. Go about your business and we shall do the same."

The human shook his head. "We can't allow danger to be so close with our families living here."

"The only danger you face would be if you ignore our warnings to mind your own business." Manami narrowed his eyes.

Shinpachi sighed. "It will do no good. They will do as they wish as they have always done. If they are brave enough to venture into the island facing the dangers and evil and face the great dragon in the mountains, then perhaps we have no right to prevent them from their course."

"Fools." Manami snorted. "So be it, do as you wish. Be forewarned, if you do find our home, you will be met with resistance. We have left your kind to dwell here for centuries without confrontation. Show us the same courtesy and do the same. If not, it very well may mean your downfall."

"Or yours." The human smiled. "Such a shame that the other we had escaped. It would have been good to know what we face."

"Do you honestly think that you would have held him for much longer?" Manami lifted a brow curiously.

Masakuni exited the treeline and walked over to them, looking tall and imposing. He smirked when a few of the guards stepped back and glanced at one another nervously.

"We do outnumber you." The human glanced at the three males standing before him.

"Of course you do. We are in your home territory to rescue one you took from us." Manami scoffed. "We show no aggression now that he is back with us."

The human glanced down at the four arrows in the dirt. "Your aim is atrocious."

Manami smirked. "Is it? How can you be sure that I missed at all? Trust me, had I been aiming at you, I would have hit my mark."

"I suppose we will never know, will we?" The human grinned crossing his arms over his chest.

Shinpachi turned slightly. "If you approach our home uninvited, you will know."

Manami turned and began walking towards the forest. Masakuni stood there and waited until both Shinpachi and Manami were safely out of sight before he inclined his head once to the human. "Heed the warning human. You seem to have a little intelligence in that head. None of us wish for conflict as I trust you do not wish for it either." He said in his deep throaty voice that caused the human to glance at him with a look of respect. Without another word, Masakuni turned and walked towards the forest.

Once in the woods, he glanced over at Kazuki searching him for signs of injury. He raised his brow in silent question.

"I am fine. Only my pride is injured." Kazuki sighed.

Manami shook his head. "Father is furious."

Kazuki and Isami both looked at each other and then nodded. "We sort of gathered that," Isami said.

"Come, before the humans gain courage and decide to storm into the woods at night searching for us." Seitarou waved his hand for them to start moving.

Shinpachi pointed in the direction of the ocean. "We will camp on the ledge until morning. Then we make our way back home. You both will have some explaining to do once we reach the Shinden-zukuri.*"

As they walked through the forest, Manami glanced at his youngest brother. "You came unarmed?" He said with a disapproving tone.

Kazuki shook his head. "No, but the humans took both my weapons."

Manami stopped. "Hells. Which weapons did they get?"

Kazuki took a deep breath. "The sword father gave me and one of grandfathers."

Seitarou and Shinpachi both stopped and turned. "They have one of Hiromitsu's swords?"

Seitarou held up his hand. "Which sword did they get?"

Isami lifted the hilt of his own. "Kazuki got the one with the red tsuka-ito* and the silver menuki*"

Manami cursed viciously under his breath. "By the gods you two are stupid."

"Humans cannot get their hands on one of our blades. The energy in them is too great a power for them to wield." Shinpachi shook his head.

"We will need to get those blades back," Seitarou said.

Kazuki glanced back in the direction of the human's settlement but he was shoved forward.

"Not now, you fool. This is something that goes above our heads." Manami cursed. "You will be lucky if you escape a good chastising from Lord Genjiro in regards to this."

Kazuki shuddered and gave a glare to Isami.

"What are you glaring at him for?" Manami snarled.

Isami shook his head. "This was my fault. Kazuki wanted to inform father about the tainted water but I insisted we go to the waterfall first."

Manami growled. "You are in shit too, little brother. Father will have both your hides but now this? The humans have not only one but two-spirit blades and Lord Genjiro will need to be informed of this."

Kazuki planted his feet in horror. "We need to get those back now before the morning."

Seitarou lifted a brow. "Oh?"

"That human was talking about a holy one being summoned to inspect me. If I am not there-" Kazuki gave them all wide-eyed looks.

"Then they will inspect the weapons instead and discover their powers." Seitarou nodded in understanding.

Shinpachi sighed. "I will go and retrieve the weapons. I am the only one here who can accomplish this without being seen."

Seitarou and Masakuni both shook their heads but Shinpachi held his hand up.

"You both know my words to be true. I can merge into the shadows without being detected and with my new skills, they will not even realize I was there until it is too late." Shinpachi about-faced and headed back in the direction of the village.

Seitarou turned to go with him. "The rest of you head back. If things do not go well, at least we have someone to warn the others."

Masakuni planted both his feet solidly to the forest floor spreading them apart in a stubborn manner. "If you go, we all go. There is nothing for it if two of our captains fall to the humans. If you fall into their hands then we are in even greater danger."

Manami nodded in agreement. "Those two shits can make their way back to the Shinden-zukuri and inform the elders of what is transpiring."

Shinpachi lifted his brow. "Can they make it back without getting lost?"

"With how reckless they both have been? Highly unlikely." Manami snorted and both Isami and Kazuki hung their heads. "Now, go." The eldest brother snapped spinning on his heel.

*Shinden-zukuri- (寝殿造) refers to the style of domestic architecture developed for palatial or aristocratic mansions built in Heian-kyō in the Heian period (794–1185) especially in 10th century Japan. Shinden-zukuri developed into shoin-zukuri and sukiya-zukuri. During the Kamakura period, it developed into buke-zukuri. Reference link wiki/Shinden-zukuri .

*Tsuka-ito- (柄糸) stringing of the handle; Reference Link . .

*Menuki-(目貫) decorative metal applications on the sides of the handle; Reference Link . .


	8. Chapter 8 The Night's Shadow

Chapter 8

The Night's Shadow

Seitarou stood with Shinpachi and spoke with him quietly while Masakuni and Manami sat beside a tree and readied their weapons, in case they would be needed.

Masakuni had out his whetstone out and sharpening his blade, listening to the conversation between the two captains.

"I don't think you should go alone," Seitarou whispered.

Shinpachi raised a brow. "Oh?"

"You've seen how humans behave. We saw it only an hour ago when Kazuki got free." Seitarou growled.

"Years ago perhaps they were worse. Besides, they won't even be aware of my presence. I've been granted certain skills that will aid me in this." Shinpachi glanced over his shoulder and smirked.

Seitarou furrowed his brow and looked at the space curiously. There was nothing there and he glanced at Shinpachi again. It was as though he saw something he couldn't. "You are doing that thing with your eyes again, aren't you?"

Shinpachi turned to him and grinned. "Thing with my eyes? No." He snorted. "Trust me, old friend. I will be fine." He gripped Seitarou's shoulder and squeezed. "Stay here."

Shinpachi held his arms out to his sides and closed his eyes, and Seitarou stepped back watching with interest. His eyes traveled down to the shadow guard captain's feet and he saw them waver and grow to an almost smoke-like fog and that smoke like substance seemed to crawl up his legs until all that remained standing there was a smoke image of Shinpachi.

He gasped softly and he turned his head as Masakuni and Manami walked up their eyes locked on the form of Shinpachi. The smoke seemed to take a step and then it vanished before their eyes. "Interesting." Seitarou breathed.

Manami shared a quick look with his captain before he shook his head. A slight step in the trees caused both to whirl around. Masakuni narrowed his eyes and growled. "Were you two not told to head home?"

Isami exited the trees with a bashful look. "This was my fault. I can't very well go back knowing that you were placed in danger due to my carelessness."

Kazuki also exited the trees and glared at Isami. "I told him to not go against orders."

Isami sighed.

Manami rolled his eyes and turned around facing the human settlement. "Fools, the both of you." He hissed.

Seitarou chuckled. "Well if things do not go well, we will need able bodies to fight. Isami is capable and Kazuki has skill."

Manami shook his head. "After one day of training?"

"Aori tested his skill. There is work to be had, for sure. But you trained with your father, you know he doesn't do so lightly." Seitarou smiled. He pulled a short sword from his side and handed the blade to the youngest member there. "You might need this."

Kazuki gripped the sword in his hand and spun it on his palm testing the balance and nodded. He glanced at Manami who was laying on his stomach, watching the human guards surrounding the village. As quietly as he could, Kazuki joined him, crawling forward on his elbows and pushing with his feet.

"What do you see?" Manami asked.

Kazuki turned his eyes to where the village was, seeing some of the humans begin to settle for the evening. There were many guards still positioned at the gates and at the weakest points. "There are not as many guards as there were during the day."

Manami nodded and pointed to where a few sentries seated just inside a wooden hideaway.

"I see them." Kazuki nodded. "They have a few others hiding in the shadows."

Manami trained his eyes to where Kazuki was looking and he snorted. "They don't seem to hide very well."

Kazuki gave a weak smile.

Shinpachi inched through the gates carefully, edging past one of the guards. _'___Can they really not see me?' __He asked his inner spirit.

_'___Not if you are careful. Remember, this is new even to me.' __Kosei snorted, as he guided Shinpachi through the shadows that surrounded them. _'___We must be wary. Some of these humans have a higher intelligence than ones we have met before.'__

Shinpachi nodded and kept his eyes locked on his companion. Kosei was only a faint hint of light in the darkness, like that of a candle drawing on the last trace of wick. _'___How long can we stay in this place?'__

There was nothing where they were, only the shroud of black. The ground was completely washed away in the darkness, no twinkling stars to indicate what time it was. There were no trees or even humans. The only thing Shinpachi could see was his inner spirit who had the form of one like him. Tall, with silver hair bound high on the head, and almost an alien color of eyes Shinpachi had never seen in his long existence.

Kosei's eyes were mint green and in their strange colored depths held amusement. His skin was pale much like his own and their facial markings were similar but distinctly different. Where his were a pale indigo, Kosei's were almost a soft grey. His eyes moved from Kosei to the surrounding darkness and he squinted at the swaying shadows he saw just out of his focused sight. _'___What are those?'__

Kosei's eyes moved and he shook his head. _'___Beasts of this place is my guess. Remember, I have never been to this plane before.'__

_'___So how do you know we are going in the right direction?'__

Kosei smirked and pointed.

Shinpachi followed Kosei's hand and lifted a brow when he caught sight of a faint pink glow further in the distance.

_'___That glow are the spirit blades. Humans can't see the glow, but we can.' __Kosei said.

Shinpachi jerked slightly. _'___So we are in the human's village already?'__

Kosei snorted, rather than comment he led his host to the hut that held the spirit blades. _'___Take my hand.'__

Shinpachi furrowed his brow but did as he was asked and he gasped at the rush of energy that flowed from Kosei's grip. It was almost similar to the air current when an electrical storm was close. He sucked his breath in and stared down at their clasped hands.

Kosei chuckled then. _'___Relax, Shin.'__

He narrowed his eyes at the nickname his spirit had given him. _'___Shin? Seriously?'__

_'___Isn't it better than the name your mother gave you on the day of your birth?' __Kosei grinned over his shoulder.

Shinpachi grunted.

_'___I mean if you really want, I can call you Suenaga.' __Kosei grinned wider.

_'___Don't you dare. I took my adult name because it is one I prefer over the one my mother gave me.' __

_'___We are inside the hut that houses the spirit blades.' __Kosei stepped to the side and Shinpachi glanced down at the glowing pink that was visible. However, he couldn't make out what they were.

_'___Are you certain?'__

Kosei nodded. _'___I can drop you out of the shadows if you wish to confirm it on your own, but those are definitely spirit blades.'__

_'___Is it safe to emerge from the shadows?' __Shinpachi lifted a brow in question.

_'___For now. There is a human stationed at the door outside, but if you are silent, you will not be detected and I will also keep an eye out.' __Kosei nodded when Shinpachi indicated the shadows to be dropped.

He winced when the light assaulted his vision. After being in the straight darkness for that length of time, he found the light to actually hurt his eyes. Shinpachi breathed softly his eyes closed for a moment to allow his vision to adjust. Opening his eyes to narrow slits, he grinned when his sight finally cleared of the white dots that had lingered.

Shinpachi glanced down at the two blades that sat on a table inside the hut they were standing in. He had been shocked after the incident on the mountain and he had been tending Chuya's injury after the acid rain. He had glanced over his shoulder and had seen a figure he had never noticed before and then it started speaking to him. To his utter amazement, no one else seemed to notice the ethereal being.

He had seen his inner spirit a few times when he had visited the pools of life, Kosei had told him about. However, Kosei had only ever been in the shape of a large silver furred dog with black facial markings beside the muzzle. When Lord Genjiro had gone up the mountain and released whatever it was that had been sealed up there, he had felt a rush of power fill his veins.

Kosei had then appeared in Lord Okimoto's hut with a rather bemused grin on its face. It walked around the hut, inspecting those standing there, and objects with pure wonder. Then it turned and started speaking, but not to anyone, Kosei had spoken through him.

Now where ever Shinpachi was, Kosei was right beside him. At first, he had been fearful that others could see his inner spirit, but Kosei had ensured that only he himself could see it. Still wary, Shinpachi did all he could to not stare whenever his sight fell onto the ghost-like image of himself. Shaking his head with a snort, Shinpachi gripped the sword with the red Tsuka-ito and placed it in his obi. The next one he gripped tightly in his hand.

'Hide.' Kosei growled. 'A human comes.'

Shinpachi lifted his gaze and backed into a corner and crouched down, allowing Kosei's energy to fill him to blend his form into the shadows cast by the soft light of the candles.

The human he had encountered in the field upon Kazuki's escape entered and glanced around before he pulled a couple of scrolls from his pouch at his waist. Then his eyes wandered to the table where the swords had been left and the human frowned and then rushed to the spot.

The man looked around the room and let out a small command to the stationed guard. "Did you allow anyone entrance?"

The stationed guard shook his head. "No Captain Yasushi. No one has entered or left."

The human named Yasushi waved his hand over the table. "Then please explain how the swords that were left on this table are no longer on this table?"

The guard's eyes moved to the empty spot and he quickly shook his head. "I have no explanation."

Yasushi grunted. "Search every hut. I want those swords found."

The guard quickly about-faced and almost ran out of the hut, leaving Yasushi standing there with his hands on his hips. "Blast it." The human walked around the hut inspecting the windows that were still sealed shut and locked from within, then he looked around for loose floorboards. "How in all seven hells did someone manage to take the swords?" Turning he stared at the door with a furrowed brow.

_'___Seven hells?'__ Shinpachi smirked at his inner spirit who squatted next to him.

Kosei shrugged. _'___Your guess is as good as mine.'__

Shinpachi rolled his eyes. The human stood maybe three feet from his current location and he could see the wheels spinning. _'___This one is quite intelligent.'__

Kosei nodded his head in agreement. _'___He doesn't seem to be swayed by any evil sources. His aura is a soft almost gentle color.'__

Shinpachi raised a brow and stored that bit of information in the back of his mind to ask about later. _'___I want to speak to this human.'__

Kosei gave his host a startled glance. _'___You want to what?'__

Shinpachi smirked. _'___You can always get me out of here with your new skills. It should be an easy task for you.'__

Kosei snorted. _'___Do not be reckless, at the first sign of trouble, I'm pulling you into the shadows.'__

_'___Fair enough.'__ Shinpachi watched Yasushi take a couple of steps forward before he stood and exited the spot he had been hiding. "Searching will provide no results."

Yasushi whirled around and almost tripped over the table. His eyes fell onto Shinpachi and then at his hand and waist. "How did you get in here?"

Shinpachi lifted a brow. "I walked in. I came to retrieve the swords."

"Those were confiscated and they now belong to me." Yasushi placed his hand on his sword hilt.

"Be mindful of what you are about to do human. You do not know my skill with the blade nor do you know what I am capable of. The fact that you walked past me without being aware of my presence means you are already outmatched." Shinpachi narrowed his eyes at the man.

The human frowned and glanced around the dimly lit hut confused. "I searched every inch of this place and saw no signs of you. You were not here a moment ago."

"I was, and I watched from the moment you entered your conversation with your stationed guard and the command you gave for the search of the blades."

Now the human was even more confused.

"I only came to retrieve the blades and I will be on my way now that they are once again in possession of my kind." Shinpachi turned and looked over his shoulder. "Weapons such as these are not made for your people. You have an intelligent heart, use it."

Yasushi stepped forward but stopped mid-step when Shinpachi wavered and then was gone. Gasping, he ran to the spot he had seen the silver-haired being standing and frantically searched the area. He knocked over tables, chairs, kicked boxes and scrolls out of his way, thinking he had somehow ducked under or behind something. "What in the world?" He breathed.

Shinpachi walked out of the human village casually and made his way with Kosei to where he had left the others. When he approached, he saw Manami and Kazuki crouched in the bushes, intently watching the gates. Seitarou stood with Isami and Masakuni who stood further in the small clearing. Casually, he approached his friend and blew air in his ear.

Seitarou whirled around with a gasp and then stumbled back when Shinpachi emerged from the shadows. "Ah!"

Masakuni gripped Seitarou's shoulders to steady him as he scrambled back and then chuckled. Isami stood there with his mouth hanging open, and Manami and Kazuki both looked over their shoulders blinking in shock.

Shinpachi grinned widely and nodded. "Consider that payback for all the times you got the drop on me."

Seitarou placed his hand over his heart and breathed deeply. His eyes landed on the two swords and he sighed in relief. "Thank the gods."

"Indeed." Shinpachi turned to face Kazuki as the brother's approached. Handing over both weapons to the youngest member, he pointed his finger at Kazuki. "Keep hold of those. In the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic."

Kazuki nodded his head in understanding. Manami glanced over his shoulder at the quiet village with a raised brow. "No trouble?"

Shinpachi shook his head. "I trust they are still searching for the swords. Their captain is probably still in the hut searching for me." He smirked.

"He saw you?" Seitarou gasped.

Shinpachi nodded. "I spoke with him briefly. Fear not, old friend. Best if we be on our way, though."

By the time they reached the ocean, night had slowly slipped away and morning was upon them. The five males climbed onto a cliff that stuck out at a weird angle and provided them with enough shelter so they would not be seen from the path the humans used. Masakuni took the first watch while the others settled in for a light sleep. By the time night hit, Manami stood overlooking the ocean lost in thought. He roused the others and they climbed down to the path leading around the side of the mountains.

For humans, the path was not safe to travel, as it was broken and at such a sharp dip that someone not sure-footed would probably tumble into the ocean below. When they finally reached the main house late afternoon had hit and the guards were in an uproar.

All eyes turned immediately to Masakuni and they breathed a huge sigh of relief. Masamichi walked over and shifted his sword on his hip. "We were just headed out to search for you."

Masakuni snorted. "We had to take care of a few things."

Isami and Kazuki stood there and Manami pointed towards their families home. "You both had better go face father before he rips his hair out."

Isami looked at Manami. "You aren't coming?"

Manami gave him a bewildered look. "I'm not the one who has to face his wrath. I've seen it countless times, thank you. I do not wish to be subjected to it unless I must."

Kazuki shuddered and started walking towards his family's home.

"Kazuki?" Manami called out causing the younger brother to turn. "Best if you keep losing your swords to yourself. If father finds out, he will surely lose it."

Kazuki took a deep breath and slowly headed away. Isami trudged along behind him, going much slower. Manami shook his head.

Seitarou clasped his shoulder with a chuckle. "I remember when you had to face Lord Okimoto when you stepped out of line."

Manami shuddered. "That was hundreds of years ago!" He protested.

Shinpachi snorted. "I remember that day. Hells, he stormed into the barracks in an uproar because you busted up his training hall."

Manami pressed his lips together. "I remember, thank you."

"Remember when Hisashi's energy release blew apart your mother's meal prep area?" Seitarou snickered.

"Oh, Gods!" Manami moaned. His eyes trailed after his brother's. "I wonder if we should rescue those two?"

"No, let them face it. It might curb Isami's recklessness and ensure Kazuki knows his mistake." Shinpachi smiled.

Manami sighed and turned a bright grin to the two captains who stood there speaking to one another. Walking over, he waited until they finished their discussion before they acknowledged his presence. "Am I needed for duties tonight?"

"Go home to your family. We have your watch covered for tonight." Masamichi nodded. "I trust your mate will wish to know you are safe."

Manami smiled gratefully and headed to his home. He was lost in thought and failed to notice that he was being followed. When he reached his hut, he saw that several repairs had been made, most likely from his mate's brother and father. Slipping through the cloth that covered the door, he was somewhat surprised to see it empty. Curiously, he exited and blinked at the grinning face of his mate and a small pup who giggled behind his hand.

"Oh, I see how it is." Manami scoffed.

Nanako laughed and released a cry when Manami charged at her catching her in his arms. "You brute! Put me down."

Manami placed his nose to her neck and took a long breath. Whispering in her ear, he said, "I missed you."

He released his mate and swooped for his young son who dodged and ran with his arms stretched out in front of him to maintain his wobbly balance. Reizo was coming up to his second year of age and had yet to remain steady on his feet. Manami reached out and grabbed his son and whirled him round in a wide circle.

Reizo whooped in excitement. Papa!"

"Hello, you little monster." Manami chuckled and wrapped Reizo in his arms, settling him on his hip. "Were you good for your mother?"

Reizo quickly nodded his head and clapped his hands on Manami's cheeks. "I was good. Mama and I went fishing."

Manami lifted his gaze to his mate who held up a catch of fish and he frowned. "Where did you get those?"

Nanako's smiling mouth turned downward. "At the fishing pond near your father's hut."

Manami placed Reizo on his feet and walked over and took the fish from her hands. "We cannot eat the fish in that pond." He said firmly.

Nanako placed her hands on her hips. "Oh?" Her tone held an edge to it that demanded an explanation.

Manami growled softly. "We do not know what effects of this energy release has on our food or water supply. I will not risk it." He said.

"Manami, then what will we eat?" Nanako grumbled.

"I will find something. For now, no drinking the water or eating the fish. He handed her his flask that he had with him from before going up the mountain. "Take this. I will go find something edible for us to eat."

"I saw that Isami and Kazuki got home safely," Nanako said as Manami refilled his quiver with arrows.

"They did."

"Your father looked relieved." She sat down on the small bench outside their hut. "You might wish to stop by your family's place and inform them of the contamination of the food. Your mother and sister came with us. Several other families did too."

Manami groaned. "Of course they did." With a shake of his head, he stood and gave his mate a quick kiss on the cheek. "Perhaps you should go inform the other families who were fishing with you while I ensure mother doesn't prepare the tainted food."

Nanako sighed and nodded pushing to her feet. "Will you be home tonight?"

Manami nodded as he left their hut. Heading towards his family's hut, he could hear the distinct chastising from both their mother and father as they talked to his two younger siblings. Wincing, Manami stopped and stared as his other brother Kihachi hid behind another hut close by.

"Really?" Manami snorted as he walked up.

Kihachi almost tripped over his feet as he whirled around. "It's actually safer here." He whispered.

Manami shook his head. "How bad?"

Kihachi shuddered. "Bad enough. At least father hasn't released any ener-" Just as the words left his mouth the earth rumbled under their feet and Manami glanced at his arm when his skin started to tingle. "Shit!" He sprinted towards his parent's hut and flung open the cloth covering. "Father!"

Okimoto spun around his eyes glowing red in his fury and his facial markings very prominent on his face in long jagged spikes. Their father was breathing irregularly and Chuya was standing by the wall with her arms wrapped around her small frame.

Kazuki and Isami both were wide-eyed and standing as far away from Okimoto as possible. Kazuki looked ill and Isami tried to mold himself with the wall he was pressed up against.

Manami rolled his eyes and walked into the hut. "Father, you know better. What are you trying to do, kill them?"

Okimoto glared at Manami and snarled.

"Oh stop. Put your energy away." Manami snorted.

Kazuki and Isami slid across the wall as Manami held their father's attention and Manami quickly gave a wave of his hand indicating that they move. Both brothers quickly darted out of the hut and Okimoto whirled around and watched as the cloth fell back over the entryway blocking their escape.

Manami grinned and bolted, leaving their mother to handle the raging male within. He skidded to a halt just around the back walls of their home and chuckled, slowing his gait. "I thought you two were done for."

Isami slipped out of the dark hideaway that used to be his favorite hiding place and he released his breath. "I've never seen him so angry before."

Manami chuckled and glanced around for his youngest brother. "Where did Kazuki get to?"

Isami pointed to the rush reeds and the swamp that lay beyond it. If Manami remembered correctly, his little brother had made himself a fort when he was younger. Turning to Isami, he said. "When father calms down, Inform mother that she needs to dispose of the fish she got today. It's tainted with whatever poison came off the mountain. Let her know I will go hunting tonight and get something for our families."

With a heavy sigh, Manami made his way to where his brother would be hiding.


	9. Chapter 9 The Gods and Their Children

Chapter Nine

The Gods and Their Children

Manami walked through the marsh carefully. It was so sloshy and damp that if he weren't careful, he would tumble into the thick muck and find himself stuck in the sticky goo. There were a few trees but they were so old and gnarled they only provided a hindrance rather than shelter. It was definitely a good spot for Kazuki to make his hideaway. He chuckled as he stepped over a thick mound of muck and he stared down the small hill to where his youngest brother stood.

Kazuki glanced over his shoulder and then back to the small swamp that lay outback their family's home. His arms were crossed over his chest and it appeared as though he was shivering.

"Cold?"

Kazuki snorted. "No."

Manami walked up next to him and stared at the dark swamp and then glanced at the small wooden structure that Kazuki had built years ago. "Give father a few days to calm down."

Kazuki glanced down at his feet and nodded his head. "I've never seen him so angry."

Manami chuckled. "The worry over Hisashi and myself and then the worry about you and Isami was enough to send him in an uproar."

Kazuki gave Manami an apologetic look.

"Did you tell father you were captured?" Manami asked with a soft chuckle.

Kazuki shook his head. "No. Hells, I don't think I'd be alive if I did that."

Manami grinned widely. "Best if we keep that little information a secret."

"Did you see his eyes?" Kazuki shuddered.

"I did. I suppose that is the rage and worry he felt, being released." Manami sighed.

"Are we what the humans call us?" Kazuki asked softly.

"What do they call us? Demons?" Manami lifted a brow.

Kazuki nodded. "Is that what we are?"

"I suppose everyone has an inner demon to contend with on a daily basis. It is entirely up to the individual on how they live their lives. We all have the choice to follow a true path with compassion and mercy, or follow the darker path filled with hate and malice." Manami said.

Kazuki sighed.

"Do you remember the tales, mother used to tell when we were pups?" Manami asked.

Kazuki furrowed his brow. "I don't remember any tales."

Manami smiled and waved to the stone seats that sat beside the marshy water. "When I was a pup, mother used to tell me about where we originated from. There are two versions. One from the scrolls or the one mother used to tell me. I prefer mother's version."

Kazuki grunted.

"The one from the scrolls says that the Gods grew jealous of the mortal man and decided to come to the earth to create children of their own. Some came out intelligent and able to solve puzzles, others came out as raging monsters that only desired mayhem." Manami reached down and grabbed a couple of stones from beside his feet. "It said that we are the children of the gods. We are descendants of Inugami, the dog spirit."

Kazuki smiled.

"The version mother tells us is that the spirit that resides inside us are the children of the Gods, sent to test our hearts. If we, their hosts follow the path of mercy and love, then they are held in higher regard with their creators, the Gods. However, if they cause chaos and destruction, then they fade away to nothing. They do not get to reunite with their own family and thus are lost within the world of lost spirits."

"Why would the Gods be jealous of humans?"

Manami shrugged. "Humans have such short lives, they easily love and live their lives to the fullest. They enjoy every aspect that life has to offer because their lives are so short. The Gods had no praises from the humans or signs that they even existed. I suppose the Gods created children of their own so they could be worshiped and loved."

Chuya came out of the gnarled trees. "There is another, darker version to that tale."

Both Manami and Kazuki glanced over their shoulders. Their mother approached them and sat down on another stone with a smile.

"Oh?" Manami lifted a brow.

"What? Did you honestly think I would tell you a dark story and give you night terrors when you were such a young age?" Chuya laughed lightly.

Manami snorted.

"The darker tale was that humans did worship the Gods, but they started to lose faith in some of them. The prayers stopped and those Gods faded away and became known as the fallen. The fallen Gods were banished to the mortal plane where they had to live out their lives with the very creatures who caused them to lose their favor." Chuya leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees. "They kept their powers of manipulation and abilities and became known as living phantoms or spirits. We are said to be their children. They are forever stuck on this plane of existence to exact their revenge and destruction."

Kazuki frowned.

"That is why we hold so little trust in humans. At least so the stories go."

"What do you believe?" Manami asked curiously.

"I prefer the story I told you as a pup." Chuya sat up. "The humans also have their stories that they tell their children. They call us demons, monstrous creatures that evolved from hatred and chaos. With all the wars that humans like to fight, we are the after-effects of such hostility. That enmity flooded all non-living things and created demons."

Manami snorted. "I trust that part of that is true. I have come across demons that are nothing but rampaging monsters that seek death to all they encounter."

Chuya nodded. "I believe that we are sent here to protect those we care about and defend those weaker than us."

"And the sentient beings who live within us?" Kazuki asked.

"They are the spirits of the Gods. The story says that they are sent to this world to learn about love and compassion, anguish and despair through us. Once they have completed their goals set upon them by their parents then they can go back and live side by side with the Gods. If their host has followed the wrong path, both the host and inner spirit turns evil and dies being sent to the depths of hell."

"So how do we know if we are good or evil?" Kazuki wrapped his arms around his torso again.

_'___With my help.' __Taizo poked him.

Kazuki twitched which caused both Manami and his mother to glance at him with curiosity. Grunting he tapped his head.

Manami snickered. "They do that from time to time."

"This thing that has shrouded everything, is that going to affect our hearts?" Kazuki asked.

"Before I woke after the explosion of energy, I found myself standing on the edge of a cliff. As far as I could see there was just a black abyss. I could see a large tidal wave headed right for me and I was unable to move. I only woke up from it because I heard my inner spirit calling for me." Manami said. "Remember what I said about listening to him every chance you get?"

Kazuki nodded.

"It is that reason why I did not fall victim to whatever it was that called to me on that mountain."

Kazuki shivered and he shared a glance with his mother who smiled gently.

"Loss can also cause despair." Chuya nodded. "Always listen to the voice in your head. Follow the guidance for growth, your spirit relies on you for their extended life. If you die without an heir, your spirit perishes."

"What happens to it?" Kazuki asked wide-eyed.

_'___We go back to where we were born.' __Taizo said.

"Where they were created." Chuya placed her hand on Kazuki's shoulder. "You both are good and your hearts are strong. Be true to your beliefs and you should never be led astray."

"I should go hunting for our meals tonight." Manami pushed to his feet and stretched.

"I heard that the fish was tainted." Chuya also got to her feet and dusted off her kimono.

Kazuki frowned. "Fished from the pond close to the hut?"

"Yes."

"That water was murky and dark. Like something had disturbed the sand under it." Kazuki muttered. "Want me to go with you? I really don't think going home is an option right now."

Chuya laughed. "Oh, your father is fine. He just needs time to calm down. You all had him worried sick and he was going out of his mind."

Manami snorted and waved for his youngest brother to follow him. "You might as well come along. How's your bow arm?"

Kazuki rolled his eyes. "How do you think?"

Chuya followed them out of the swamp but stopped when she caught sight of Kihachi and Isami crouched just outside the gardens gates. "And what are you two doing?"

Kihachi whirled around and blinked giving his mother a look of surprise. Isami gave them a sheepish look.

"Well seeing as you both are also hiding from father, you might as well come hunting with us." Manami chuckled.

Isami all too readily agreed but Kihachi shook his head. "I will pass on that."

Manami lifted his brow.

Chuya giggled and placed her arm through Kihachi's. "He has his eyes on a young female."

"Mother!" Kihachi flushed a brilliant red.

Kazuki raised both his brows in surprise. "Who?"

Kihachi grumbled under his breath. "None of your business."

Isami chuckled and nudged Manami's side.

"Nudge me again and you will lose that elbow." Manami snarled.

Chuya waved them off. "I will collect your mate and my grandson and bring them to our hut. So after you, three finish hunting, come here."

Isami flinched. "Is that wise?"

"Seeing Reizo will help calm your father." Chuya waved more firmly. "Off you go."

Kazuki gave Kihachi another look but sighed and followed Manami and Isami towards the forest close to the mountains. "So how do we know what hasn't been tainted?"

"We keep our eyes on our surroundings. If we see signs of it close to our hunting area, we move to the next one. Until we come across a section where that poison miasma hasn't touched." Manami said.

As they walked, Isami strung his bow and checked his arrows to ensure they would fly true. Kazuki watched with interest. He had never had to string his own bow before, due to their father always having one ready for anything. "Who do you think Kihachi is pursuing?" He asked.

"Why are you so interested?" Manami questioned.

Kazuki shrugged. He had never really given much thought to where his interests would lie, but now he was intrigued. Isami had already found a female who he tried to impress, and even his youngest sister had a suitor who had yet to gain approval from their father. "Has Hisashi found someone?"

Manami snorted and laughed at the same time. "That jackass? He would be lucky to find anyone who can stand his miserable attitude."

"Has he really gotten that bad?" Isami grunted.

"Worse. You saw him the other night." Manami said. "He has it in his head that the more ferocious he is, the more he will gain favor with Lord Genjiro."

"Feeling a little left out, little brother?" Manami smiled.

Kazuki waved his hand indicating his indifference, even though he felt differently. It seemed to him that he was always left out of something, so why would this be any different? He sighed.

Isami leaned over and whispered. "I heard that Kihachi has his eyes set on Himari."

Kazuki frowned. He was not familiar with that name. "Do I know her?"

Isami shook his head. "Her family came to the Shinden-zukuri in late winter."

Manami lifted his brow. "Isn't her brother Enmei?"

"Yes," Isami confirmed.

Manami groaned. "I do not like him."

Kazuki stepped over a fallen tree and glanced around the area curiously. The grass was dried up and yellow in spots and the trees were crumbling away from something.

Isami was also looking around. "Isn't Enmei the one who tried to cheat during shadow training?"

Kazuki nodded.

"Really?" Manami snorted. "Shinpachi mustn't have been happy about that."

"He got kicked from the group. He had to go report his misdeeds to Captain Seitarou." Isami smiled.

"Good. Hopefully, he learned his lesson." Manami said and pointed to another section of trees further in front of them.

"Doubtful," Kazuki said. "To me, it seems like he cares little of what others think. He only wants to advance without doing the hard work it entails."

Manami rolled his eyes. "Much like Hisashi."

Isami scoffed. "Hisashi isn't that bad. He worked for his position."

"Regardless, Enmei will learn one way or another when he is faced with something he can't defeat," Manami said and crouched in the bushes that still held all the color they should. "Listen." He whispered.

Kazuki tilted his head to the side and heard the distinct sounds of steps on the underbrush. "Deer." He mouthed.

Manami smiled and nodded. He pointed in the direction the sound was coming from and pulled an arrow from his quiver. Handing the bow and arrow to Kazuki he pressed his lips together as Kazuki held the bow with a lifted brow. Instead of saying anything, he pointed to the youngest member there and waved his hand.

They waited for almost half an hour by the time the deer strolled out of the trees and the male buck glanced around curiously before it lowered his head and began grazing on the green grass. Before Kazuki notched his arrow, a doe and fawn exited to begin grazing also. Kazuki glanced at Manami and shook his head.

Manami inched back, knowing that this particular deer would not be hunted. Waving them through the bushes, he led them deeper into the forest. "You have a soft heart."

Kazuki rolled his eyes. "So everyone keeps telling me."

"You have to steel that heart if you are going to make it through life." Isami snorted.

Kazuki shoved his brother, who gasped and fell into the brush with a loud crunch.

Manami chuckled. "You are not one to talk." He said as Isami crawled out of the bush with sticks in his hair. "You are just as soft-hearted and naive."

Kazuki heard a faint growl on his left and he turned his head to stare in that direction. "I heard a bear."

Manami nodded. "Sounds like a fight."

Isami got to his feet and dusted off his hakama. "Well, why not go check it out?"

"We will keep our distance until we know it is safe to approach." Manami waved them through the trees towards the sounds of growling and roars. The sounds were faint, so it was a bit of a distance but they were able to slip through the trees quietly with little difficulty and they made their way to the section of trees close to the mountains. Manami could make out a large den and two male black bears scrapping. One had a large gash on his foreleg and looked pretty beat up.

Isami breathed softly through his mouth. "Looks like the fight has been going on for a while." He whispered.

Manami nodded. "We wait until either one is killed or runs."

Kazuki glanced at the den and then back at the fighting bears. His ears picked up a slight sound and he furrowed his brow curiously. _'___What is that?'__

_'___Sounds like we are not the only ones hunting.' __Taizo muttered quietly.

Kazuki glanced at Manami and pointed to his ear and then in the direction he had heard the noise.

Manami frowned but nodded, pushing backward out of the little area they were hiding in. "Stay here." He told them.

Kazuki turned his gaze back to the fighting bears and he frowned again when he caught a glimpse of light. Squinting his eyes, he tried to focus his vision on the spot the glimmer had come from. _'___What is that?' __He asked his quiet spirit.

_'___Looked like a flash from a sword.'__

_'___Humans?' __Kazuki said, inching forward slightly, on his hands and knees.

_'___I am uncertain.'__

Isami hissed between his teeth. "It's Hisashi."

Kazuki gave him a startled look. "Why is he here?"

Isami shook his head.

Manami furrowed his brow as he took in the group of humans who emerged from the crevice in the mountain. _'___So they have found a way through without drawing Ryuokotsusei's attention.'__

_'___Appears that way.' __Nari snorted.

_'___This isn't good. This is less than a day from our home.' __Manami narrowed his eyes.

_'___They don't look like a group who is well equipped to fight. It looks more like a hunting party, much like what you and your brothers are doing.' __Nari said.

Manami nodded. His eyes moved over the group of humans and he felt aggravation fill him when he caught sight of a group of home guards lying in wait. _'___What are they thinking?'__

_'___Looks as though they are planning an ambush.' __Nari said disapprovingly.

Manami sighed and slipped around to get behind the home guard. Once he approached, he watched for a minute and listened to the conversation. "We need to strike now." One of the guards muttered quietly to Hisashi.

"Oh, we will. I want them to come closer." Hisashi grinned in such a way it left shivers coursing through Manami's veins.

"If we can make it appear as though the bears chewed them up, then this will be in our benefit." Another guard slyly sneered.

Shaking his head, Manami exited the trees. "Unless someone bears witness to your little plan and foils it."

The three home guards and Hisashi whirled around in shock. "Manami!"

Hisashi growled in warning. "You should know that any sign of humans in this area is a huge danger to the clan."

"I am well aware of that. However, they have not stumbled across our home and if you engage them and the other humans find out that they were attacked by us, they will come searching." Manami crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them. He still had a lot of power over the home guard that the three stood down, but his brother kept firm.

"They need to die," Hisashi growled.

"Not by your hand and not today." Manami narrowed his eyes. "So far the humans have not discovered our home, engaging them now would prove to be a huge setback, you know this."

Hisashi's eyes flashed in his rage and he lowered himself ready to spring.

"Seriously?" Manami snorted. "You are going to attack me?"

"I do this to keep the clan safe." Hisashi snarled.

"Come at me then, little brother. Let's see if you learned anything from your time with the home guard."

Hisashi hesitated for a moment and realized that the other three had lowered their weapons. He turned and looked at them. "What are you fools waiting for? Attack the humans!" He snarled and turned once again to his brother who scowled at him.

The three glanced at one another for a minute and then at the dangerous look Manami gave them, but they appeared to fear Hisashi more, so they spun and started running towards the unsuspecting humans.

Manami snarled and braced himself when Hisashi grinned and charged him. He took the full brunt of the force of the attack and allowed himself to fall onto his back, using the momentum to continue a backward roll and flung Hisashi over his body. The younger brother released a startled cry as he flew over onto his back and grunted when he hit hard.

Without a backward glance, Manami charged after the three home guards hoping to catch up to them before they engaged the humans. He saw two of them ahead and sprinted harder to catch up to them before they left the treeline, but gave a startled cry when he was tackled from behind and fell heavily to the ground.

Horrified, Manami was pinned solidly to the ground as he watched the three home guards pull their weapons from the scabbards in a motion to strike. He could do nothing but stare with dread filling his heart.


	10. Chapter 10 The Elemental Flame

Chapter Ten

The Elemental Flame

Kazuki frowned when his ears picked up the sound of frantic movement in the forest and he shared a concerned glance with Isami. With a nod, Isami indicated they move away from the scrapping bears and make their way over to where they had seen Manami disappear and had seen Hisashi.

They arrived to the section of forest just in time to see Hisashi fling a specialized attack at their brother who was racing after three home guards who headed directly towards the humans. The roots held Manami firmly planted to the earth, with both his arms pinned to his sides, and Kazuki could see the dreaded look on his face.

Gasping, Kazuki changed his course to intercept the home guard. Isami blinked and followed. "What are you doing?"

"We have to stop them. If they attack the humans, then our home will no longer be safe. We have kept out of the human's notice for this long." Kazuki said as he sprinted to meet the three guards before they left the tree line.

"Up until you were captured by them." Isami reminded him.

"I understand that. However, if we attack them, then the other humans will come looking for their missing party anyway. You know what that means." Kazuki pressed urgently.

Isami cursed under his breath but followed Kazuki. "We probably do not have the skills to stop them."

"We have trained under father, do you honestly think he would go lightly? We can face them and stop them long enough for Manami to free himself." Kazuki growled as he leaped over a fallen tree.

Isami nodded his head and forced himself to move faster. Kazuki snorted as Isami sprinted past him towards the three guards. He ducked under a tree and swerved out of the way of another that seemed to loom up at him out of nowhere. Knowing that his brother had the ability to call on the structure of wood, he dove and rolled out of the way. _'___So Hisashi is aware that we are here.' __

_'___If his end goal here is to cause strife with the humans, he will do everything in his power to stop you and Isami.' __Taizo snarled.

_'___I don't understand why he would want to start a conflict with them.' __Kazuki rolled to his feet and launched himself forward barreling into one of the home guards.

The male cried out as he was tackled and knocked down. Kazuki growled at him. "If you know what's good for you, you will stay down." Without a second glance, he sprinted towards the other two.

Isami caught up with one just in time to snag his haori and pulled him off his feet. The male's feet flew up in front of him at his sudden stop and Isami threw him to the ground. The other guard glanced over his shoulder but kept running.

"Kazuki! Stop him!" Isami snarled desperately.

_'___Hells!' __Kazuki pushed himself even harder. There were less than four feet between the home guard and the tree line, and maybe two feet to where the humans were. They would have heard the shouts in the woods and would be on high alert. _'___How do I stop him?' __He begged his inner spirit.

_'___Use me!' __Taizo snarled seeing just how close the home guard was to intercepting the humans.

_'___How?' __Kazuki could feel his body heating up with the panic of fear, but he also felt his heart beat faster as his inner spirit started collecting energy. Before he could even think or hear his spirit answer, his hand lifted on its own accord and it flung towards the home guard who was less than a foot away from the tree line. He skidded to a halt when a melon-sized ball of blue shot from his hand towards the home guard and connected with his back.

The male fell to his stomach and skidded to a halt unconscious. __'Did you have to hit him so hard?'__

__'Yes.'__ Taizo muttered bashfully.

Kazuki heaved in a huge breath of relief but his breath was knocked from his lungs when he was tackled and forcefully shoved to the earth by some great heavy object. Grunting under the weight of the tree stump, Hisashi stood over him, his eyes blazing red, much like his father's had earlier.

Sucking air into his lungs, Kazuki watched horrified when Hisashi lifted another stump from the earth with just mind control and aimed it at the humans who warily watched the forest. Before Hisashi could fling the tree at the humans, Manami tackled Hisashi and placed the sharp end of his dagger at his brother's throat. "Cease, now." Manami snarled softly.

Hisashi released a bestial growl and with the added strength of his inner spirit, dislodged Manami from him. He flipped to his feet and broke through the trees towards the humans who all cried out in alarm.

"Blast it!" Manami got to his feet and once again tackled Hisashi to the ground. Kazuki got to his feet once the pressure had released and ran from the protective confines of the forest. Isami was right behind him.

The humans watched both in horror and confusion as Manami and Hisashi rolled on the ground right off the path into the opposite trees. As soon as the two fighting had vanished from sight, they lifted their eyes to the two other males standing on the path. Mouths dropped open and some cringed back in fear.

Isami held his empty hands up and shook his head. The loud growling and snarling from both Manami and Hisashi could clearly be heard, as well as the snapping and breaking of branches and sticks. "Best if you get out of here." He said to the humans who were still shocked and dumbfounded.

Kazuki shook his head with a sigh. The humans did not hesitate to move away when they realized that the two on the path were not going to harm them. They backed up slowly, glancing nervously at the forest where the growls were coming from, to the males in front of them.

Kazuki's attention was taken from the battle in the forest to the humans whose eyes widened with renewed fear, and Isami cried out. Whirling around when he felt a presence behind him, he lifted his gaze to the rampaging bear who growled furiously at him, its jowls roaring in fury. He only had a second to gasp before that huge clawed paw swung and swiped at him, knocking him into the forest and cracking his head against the hard-packed earth solidly.

_'___Kazuki!' __Taizo hissed.

Stars exploded behind his eyes and his world swirled black and he fell limp.

He sat up with a sharp gasp and heaved in huge bouts of air looking around at the black pools. Sitting beside him was a large silver-white dog and it panted as though laughing.

"Where am I?"

_'___In the pools.' __The voice said all around him and Kazuki lifted his gaze to the blood-red eyes of his spirit.

He pushed to his feet and checked himself for injuries.

_'___You will not find any injuries. You are in your spiritual form and thus do not feel or see anything happening outside in the physical world.' __The dog stood and turned to walk to the island where it laid down.

"So am I dead?" Kazuki questioned.

_'___From a bear? No.' __Came the sarcastic reply. _'___Although you should have felt the approach of danger and yet you didn't.'__

"How is that my fault?" Kazuki placed his hands on his hips.

_'___Certainly was not mine. You were not listening to the warnings I was giving you.' __Taizo snorted and placed his muzzle on his paws.

Kazuki dropped his hands and walked over to the island but earned himself a warning growl. He stopped confused.

_'___You will be awake soon. Best if you stay there.'__

"So the only time I come here is when you call to me or I am injured?"

_'___Indeed.'__

"Do you always appear as a big dog?" Kazuki asked.

_'___I can appear however I wish. This is how I choose to look right now.' __Taizo snorted.

Kazuki was about to comment but he could faintly hear a voice calling to him.

_'___Wake. Your brother calls.' __Taizo blew air through his nose and glanced at him once again with those large blood-red eyes.

Kazuki felt a strong pull from outside of his current state and he glanced at the large silver-white dog anxiously.

_'___Rest easy, Kazuki. Wake.' __Taizo chuckled.

Kazuki groaned and opened his eyes wincing from the sharp throbbing pain in his head.

Isami breathed a sigh of relief and Manami looked over his shoulder to peer at them. "He awake?"

"Yes." Isami helped Kazuki sit up and he felt a hot warmth slip down his head. "Easy does it. You have a nasty gash on your head."

Kazuki grunted and placed his hand over the hot warmth. Looking at his hand it was covered in blood. "Fantastic."

Manami lifted a brow. "Head wounds tend to bleed more profusely. You will be fine. Should be healed by morning."

Kazuki's eyes landed on the still form of Hisashi and he lifted a brow in question but the effect was lost when he winced.

"Jackass wanted to kill the humans." Manami rolled his eyes and reached down to lift his unconscious brother by the back of his haori.

"And the humans?" Kazuki groaned wincing again as another throbbing pain shot through his head.

"Ran off when they saw the bear." Isami snickered. "I'm not sure who they were more afraid of." He helped Kazuki to his feet and kept a strong grip on his arm in case he lost his footing. "Good news is, we are having bear for dinner tonight."

"I woke in the pools," Kazuki muttered slightly embarrassed.

Manami snorted. "Then it must have knocked you good. I suspect that is where Hisashi is at the moment." He glanced down at the still form of his brother.

"What did you hit him with?" Kazuki asked carefully taking a step to make sure he was steady.

"My energy. I can easily overwhelm his, so it resulted in this." Manami waved his hand.

Kazuki could see a large goose egg forming on Hisashi's head and he pointed at the injury.

"Keh, he will recover. He hit his head on a rock when we were wrestling." Manami scoffed and waved his hand.

_'___So do you not like it when I am there in the pools?' __Kazuki asked curiously.

_'___Not particularly. This is my domain. The only reasons why you would come to the pools would be an injury, or death. When I see you suddenly in my domain I fear you have met your death due to my negligence. I would prefer not to see you here until absolutely necessary.'__

_'___Don't you ever get lonely?' __

_'___Why would I get lonely? I am only a sentient being within you. Not to mention I have to listen to you all the time.' __Taizo snorted. _'___I was having a wonderful little nap and then I got woken up inside you.'__

_'___Little? You were asleep for like five hundred years, how do you call that little?'__

_'___Five hundred? That's all?' __Taizo groaned.

Kazuki sighed. _'___You are just a miserable shit.' __Taizo didn't comment, and Kazuki rolled his eyes. "How did grandfather ever deal with this miserable shit inside his head on a daily basis?"

Isami snickered and Manami raised his brows in amusement. "I think they all have their days. He will warm up to you." Manami grinned.

_'___Not likely.' __Taizo mumbled.

Kazuki snorted.

"Well, we best get moving. I would not be at all surprised if the humans have gone back to their little settlement and informed the guards what they encountered on their hunt. This shit doesn't realize the danger he has placed us all in now." Manami scowled.

Isami's eyes turned to the crevice that the humans had used to pass through the mountains. "Well, they certainly know our location now, no thanks to Hisashi."

Manami's eyes lifted to the summit and grunted. "When they had no choice but to follow the path up the mountain, they kept away because of Ryukotsusei, but now they have a way through. Which means they will now come to this side and explore."

Kazuki shook his head. "I tried to stop them."

Manami turned his gaze to him. "Oh, you did stop the home guard. It was Hisashi who foiled things. Now he will have to answer to both father and Lord Genjiro." He bent down and lifted Hisashi by his haori and started dragging him through the forest. "Go help Isami with the bear."

By the time they got back to their establishment, it was well into the evening. They approached their parent's hut and Manami was the first to enter, still dragging Hisashi.

Lord Okimoto glanced up from his grandson Reizo and blinked at both his sons. Frowning concerned, he passed Reizo to his mate and stood up. "What happened?"

Kazuki and Isami walked in and took a long deep breath when their father looked at them.

Manami dropped Hisashi unceremoniously to the ground. "This little shit decided to go with three home guards and ambush the humans. The humans found a way through the mountains and he took it upon himself to go ahead and try to kill them."

Okimoto narrowed his eyes at his unconscious son. "Did he now?"

Manami grunted and looked down as Hisashi started to stir. "Luckily we were there to stop them, however, the humans did see us."

Okimoto's scowl turned even darker and Nanako and Chuya immediately took Reizo out to the back gardens. Isami quickly exited the hut to take the bear to the back gate so that they could prepare it.

Hisashi groaned and slowly pushed himself up. "Well, it is no thanks to you for stopping us. Now the humans know our location. Had you allowed us to kill them, there would be nothing to worry about."

Manami lowered and gripped the front of Hisashi's haori pulling him towards his growling face. "No, it is no thanks to you, little brother! Had you left well enough alone, the humans would be still oblivious to our location and presence. Had you succeeded in killing them, then their guards would have sent out a search party, much like we do when one of our clan goes missing."

Okimoto pinched the bridge of his nose for patience as he listened.

"They deserve to die!" Hisashi snarled, smacking Manami's hand away.

"Enough!" Okimoto snarled sharply causing goosebumps to form on all three brother's arms. "Manami is correct in his argument. What possessed you to pursue them?"

Hisashi got to his feet. "I did it for the clan!" He protested. "How long would it have been before they stumbled across our home now that they have a way through the mountains?"

Okimoto snapped, "It would not have been today, nor tomorrow! The humans rarely travel at night, and if they are forced to, it is to hunt for food. They are now aware of our location on this island and will come searching for answers. You have forced us to have to deal with them far sooner than had you left well enough alone!" Their father slowly approached his sons. Both Manami and Kazuki took steps back, away from Hisashi who suddenly paled when he realized Okimoto's path.

"It would have taken the humans generations to explore this island and we have nights watch and shadow watchers keeping an eye out for just this reason. We have elders who can call upon their powers to shroud the Shinden-zukuri from sight once word reaches our ears on the humans' location. However, now we shall never know from where the humans will come or when!" Okimoto yelled. "Your little blunder has placed us all in danger and we will now have to inform the night watch of a possible human scout. We have women and pups in this settlement, and those who can no longer defend themselves."

Manami and Kazuki backed up a little more as Okimoto towered over his second-born son.

"I expect you to report your lapse in judgment to Lord Genjiro and inform him how you have placed everyone in danger! I also will be visiting him upon the morrow."

Hisashi flinched but Kazuki noticed his eyes flash in defiance. "The fact that the humans know where we reside is a great benefit. Now we know they will come. It isn't a case of when, now."

"You are such a fool!" Okimoto bellowed which echoed through the house at its intensity. "You have never had to face them or fight them! They are far more skilled than you realize, you twit! You have the common sense of a buffoon! You forget that almost all of us have had our powers lie in dormancy for almost a millennia. Sure we have abilities that were still accessible, but with the humans and their holy priests and priestesses and the capacity to call on the powers of the Gods as we do, we are evenly matched!"

Kazuki winced as he realized just how close he had come to being in the same situation as Hisashi. Manami gripped his arm and squeezed in reassurance knowing where his train of thought had gone.

"I have done our clan a favor!" Hisashi snarled at his father and Okimoto turned a slow deathly glare to his second born. The next words that he was going to utter stopped dead on his lips when their father's eyes flashed red and started to bleed into the golden depths. The air in the hut turned heavy and Hisashi gasped startled.

Okimoto slowly walked over to his son. "You have done what?" He whispered so softly that Hisashi's gulp was clearly heard in the stillness. "You had best do as I command and inform Lord Genjiro of your foolishness before this matter reaches his ears. If you do not and the news comes from me, you can consider yourself an outcast of this family."

Manami shuddered at the soft-spoken words and watched Hisashi scowl. The glare his brother gave him when he shoved past was enough to give him the chills. Hisashi stopped and snarled in Kazuki's face. "This is your fault!" He snapped.

Kazuki leaned back away from the fangs that dripped malicious intent at him and he swallowed. Manami narrowed his eyes. "This is fault of your own. Had Kazuki and Isami not stopped your home guard from killing the humans we would be facing a war, not mere curiosity." The eldest said.

Okimoto growled loudly and Hisashi quickly made his escape. Manami shook his head and sighed. Kazuki kept a wary eye on their father and once he realized that Okimoto had calmed down, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Now," Okimoto said as he sat down. "Explain the injuries." His eyes landed on the gash on his youngest son's head.

Kazuki flushed. "I was not paying attention and was surprised by the bear." He nudged his nose to where their meal was being gutted.

Okimoto snorted. "And the injury on Hisashi?"

Manami shrugged. "He hit his head on a rock when we were fighting."

Chuya and Nanako reentered the hut carrying large portions of meat. Reizo proudly walked in his hands covered in the sticky mess of insides and Isami snickered behind them.

Okimoto glanced at his grandson and bellowed out in laughter. "I see you assisted your grandmother and mother with the bear."

Reizo held his hands up to show them nodding without a care in the world. "I helped."

Manami snorted in amusement. Kazuki tried to hide his smile but failed.

Reizo saw his uncle and quickly ran over. "Uncle Kazuki! Look! I helped gut the bear."

Kazuki knelt down and peered intently at the blood and goo covered arms. "Good job." He smiled. "Best if you go wash up before we eat."

Reizo raced out of the hut to the washbasin outside and Kazuki chuckled as he stood up. Manami lifted his head and was out of the door just as Kazuki furrowed his brow as he heard loud whistles from outside. Chaos erupted around them as everyone filtered out of the hut and Okimoto narrowed his eyes at the mountain's paths.

Kazuki gasped when he saw the faint glow of orange and he shared a look with Isami who had wide eyes. "Humans?"

Okimoto snarled in response. He cursed under his breath. Nanako quickly picked up Reizo who was shaking with fear. Shadow guard and night watch appeared from the shadows of the forest and darker areas, heading towards the Shinden-zukuri.

"Blasted pup!" Okimoto growled in aggravation.

Chuya sighed shaking her head. "I will gather the elders and pups."

"Take them to the caverns," Okimoto grunted nodding his head.

Manami walked to his mate and son. "Go with them, Nana." He whispered close to her ear, placing his nose on her neck. His hand patted Reizo's head and he smiled. "Everything will be fine, Reizo. Stay with mother."

Reizo pouted. "I can't fight?"

"Not this time." Manami left the area, heading towards the main house.

Okimoto reentered his hut and came out with a couple of bows. He handed one to Kazuki and the other to Isami. "I want you both on the walls."

Isami lifted a brow. "Father I have skill with the sword."

"I need your bow arm!" Okimoto snapped.

Isami gripped the bow and quiver that their mother handed to them. "Be safe." She whispered to the three of them before she walked away with Nanako and Reizo.

They walked towards the gathering of guards close to the entrance of the Shinden-zukuri and Seitarou lifted his gaze. "I would prefer if you went with the elders to the caverns, Lord Okimoto."

"Don't be ridiculous," Okimoto said. "My son was responsible for this mess, now I will be here to clean it up."

Seitarou's eyes moved to Kazuki with a lifted brow.

"Not him, Hisashi," Okimoto grunted.

Kazuki breathed a sigh of relief and Isami bit his lip.

All eyes turned to another massive group approaching from the barracks house and Okimoto's brows lifted. "You've called the Crimson Sentinels in?"

Kazuki glanced over his shoulder to the hundreds of heavily armed guards wearing black hakama and white kosode. Their sleeves held honeycomb patterns in blood-red colors and their scabbards all held the same markings. His mouth dropped open in amazement. Swallowing nervously, he watched them approach the gathering of Shadow guard and Night watch.

Seitarou looked at the hundreds of males and nodded his head in affirmation. "I will take no chances with humans approaching." Without another word, he approached the massive group.

Kazuki lifted his eyes to the walls surrounding the Shinden-zukuri and he could already see other archers stationed above. "I want you both up there." Okimoto pointed to the scaffolding that led the way up to the ramparts. "Stay safe." He closed his eyes to hide the worry he felt.

Kazuki swallowed. Uncertainly, he started to climb the scaffolding and made his way to the upper platforms where many archers were counting arrows and placing them in piles beside their bows. Others were pulling more up with pulleys and a few guards stood keeping watch. Including Aori the captain of the Night Watch. Isami joined him and both glanced over the wall to the approaching orange glow from the mountain path.

Kazuki pointed to some shadows that emerged from the forest and Isami nodded his head.

"Captain Yuki and the rangers. They will keep us updated on where the humans are." Isami said.

"Have you ever had to fight?" Kazuki asked.

"You know I haven't." Isami gave him a disbelieving look. "Manami has, a few times. Mostly against other youkai*."

"There are other youkai on the island?" Kazuki breathed.

"Some most went to the mainland of Wa*," Isami stated.

Kazuki blinked his mind reeling with the news. "I didn't even know there was more than just this little island." He ignored the snort in his head.

Isami looked at him bewildered. "Did you not pay attention during your studies?"

"Apparently not well enough." Kazuki glowered. He would really need to correct his ignorance.

They both froze when the sounds of deep thumping reached their ears and Isami narrowed his eyes, peering intently at the mountains. "Sounds like war drums."

"Did Hisashi really send us into a state of war?" Kazuki mumbled.

Yuki approached and shouted out what he had seen, and Seitarou nodded his head. He gave several commands to the Crimson Sentinels who immediately flanked out and towards the large open field they would meet the humans in. Archers became more alert and the Night watch vanished into the darkness, silently. Kazuki jumped a foot in the air when Shinpachi suddenly appeared beside him and Isami.

His heart thudded heavily in his chest and Isami snickered. Several of the other archers had twitched or jumped at his sudden appearance and the captain grinned widely. "I want you to focus on the humans who are in front and directly behind them. We will need to pinpoint the location of their priests and kill them before they can cast whatever spells they use."

Kazuki could feel the energy of the clan immediately spark up as the sounds of drums grew louder and he gripped his bow tightly.

"Just breath and focus." Shinpachi gripped their shoulders and jumped off the platform to the ground below.

Kazuki glanced around and noticed Kihachi approaching with a group from the barracks and surprisingly he was dressed in the same black hakama and white and red kosode that the Crimson Sentinels were wearing. He nudged Isami and pointed to Kihachi who walked up. At his waist sat a large broadsword and a smaller one hanging on his opposite waist.

"He is very skilled with close combat. They recruited him because he surpassed all their training for tracking, shadow training, and weapons skills." Isami explained.

"Why am I the last to hear about these things?" Kazuki whined.

Isami chuckled. "Well, maybe because you are the youngest."

"Akiara is younger than I am." Kazuki pouted. "I always get left out of exciting things."

Isami was cut off from saying anything when the thuds from the human's drums grew louder. The guards around them started speaking low, their monologue not quite recognizable as to what was being said and Seitarou moved with the Crimson Sentinels out of the gates. Shinpachi and his shadow guards all vanished within the shadows of the walls or tall grass, and the archers stood up with bow and arrow in hand ready for the command from Aori to notch.

Okimoto stood off to the far left with several other elders and the energy surrounding them made Kazuki gasp.

*Youkai: 妖怪 (ghost, phantom, strange apparition) are a class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. The word **yōkai** is made up of the kanji for "bewitching; attractive; calamity" and "spectre; apparition; mystery; suspicious" . __Yōkai __range diversely from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them.

__Yōkai __often possesses animal features (such as the __kappa __, which looks similar to a turtle, or the __tengu __, which has wings), yet others appear mostly human. Some __yōkai __look like inanimate objects (such as __tsukumogami __), while others have no discernible shape. __Yōkai __usually have spiritual or supernatural abilities, with shapeshifting being the most common. __Yōkai __that shapeshift are called __bakemono __(化物) or __obake __(お化け). Reference Link: wiki/Y%C5%8Dkai

*Wa or Wakoku: ( 倭 , (倭国) "Japan, Japanese", from Chinese 倭 __Wō __or __Wa __) is the oldest recorded name of Japan . The Chinese as well as Korean and Japanese scribes regularly wrote it in reference to __Yamato __(ancient Japanese nation) with the Chinese character 倭 "dwarf", until the 8th century, when the Japanese replaced it with 和 "harmony, peace, balance". "Nippon". Time passed and the official kanji was changed to 日本 in 640. However, the name Yamato was still used for some time. Reference Link: wiki/Wa_(Japan)


	11. Chapter 11 The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 11

The Calm Before the Storm

Kazuki almost lost his lunch as he watched the humans exit the treeline several hours since they had stationed themselves on the ramparts. The other guards stood motionless and waiting as though they did this sort of thing on a daily basis. Isami had grown somewhat impatient and kept watching their father who stood with the other elders who still had a lot of energy despite their powers being asleep for hundreds of years.

Kazuki squinted as he watched the hundreds of humans exit the forest and he shared a nervous glance with his brother. "I don't remember seeing this many in the village they had me in." He hissed.

"I trust there are more human settlements on the island than even we know about. We know one because it is so close to us." Isami said.

"So what did they do? Send word to every human? How did they manage to assemble so quickly?" Kazuki shook his head and gripped his bow tighter.

Isami narrowed his eyes. "I couldn't tell you."

A slight stirring of the archers drew Kazuki's attention and he glanced over his shoulder where the others had their focus. "It's Manami."

Isami looked over his shoulder and nodded his head at the approaching guard. Manami nodded and lept up to their level in one motion. "Greetings."

"Are the other home guard coming?" Isami asked.

"No. Their duty is to protect the royal family, not fight some little battle they deem worthless." Manami snorted. "With Lord Genjiro losing one son to a dirty arrow last summer he won't take any chances with Chijimatsu, they will remain at the main house."

"Why are you here then? Isn't it your job to protect Lord Chijimatsu?"

"It was until Lord Genjiro took me off station, stating that I have managed to cast doubt upon myself. Although I have no idea how." Manami crouched down. "Apparently rumors have started through the main house that I have dishonored my position."

"What does that mean for you?" Kazuki asked.

"Nothing good."

"And Hisashi?"

"He was the one who started this whole mess." Manami snarled softly.

"So I take it he isn't coming then." Isami rolled his eyes.

"No. He will remain at his new post of protecting Lord Chijimatsu." Manami gripped the hilt of his sword and glanced at the waiting archers.

Kazuki scoffed. "I'd be more than surprised if he doesn't show. He always leaves his post so he can be part of the action."

Manami grinned "You heard about that did you?"

Kazuki chuckled. "The whole barracks is buzzing about it."

Manami sighed. "Either way, I am here to assist if I can. I will be over with father."

Without another word, Manami jumped off the ramparts and made his way over to where their father stood with the other elders. Kazuki watched as several greeted Manami and clasped his arm in the warrior fashion.

"At least we know they will be well protected," Isami muttered softly, his eyes trained on the humans. At the front of the massive army stood the very same male that had taken Kazuki hostage.

Shinpachi narrowed his eyes as he walked beside the human who he had spoken with inside the tent a few days earlier. The human had no idea he was there and seemed focused on his conversation with the man strolling next to him.

"I want you to ensure that the priests are safe. Do not allow them to break our positions. Those swords I want back and I want some left alive to question them."

"Are these demons?" The guard asked.

"They stole into our camp and took what belonged to us. They tried to kill our hunting party, does it matter?"

Shinpachi rolled his eyes and shared a look with his spirit. Kosei shook his head and nudged his nose towards the middle of the humans where several cloaked bodies strolled. He counted at least twenty grey-robed figures and he cursed softly.

Yasushi held up his hand and released a loud call that stilled all the human's movement.

Shinpachi winced and narrowed his eyes.

"They have archers." Yasushi pointed to the men stationed on the walls of the Shinden-zukuri. "It seems as though they were expecting us."

"They have a lot of heavily armed guards." Another human said quietly pointing to the large field sitting opposite them.

"I do not, however, see any priests." Yasushi grinned flexing his hands.

Shinpachi walked right in front of Yasushi's face and peered into his eyes looking for any maliciousness but he saw only a seasoned warrior who was following whatever command he had been given. With a sigh, he looked once more at Kosei. _'___Can I speak with him without showing myself?'__

Kosei glanced around and shrugged. _'___I do not know how all this works, you are not in that shadow plane, sort of in the middle between the spaces.'__

_'___Can I try it without falling out of the shadows?' __Shinpachi questioned, his eyes moving over the massive army the humans had.

_'___We can try. If you fall out of the shadows we will only have seconds to pull you into the other plane.' __Kosei walked closer and stood directly behind Shinpachi, his hands ready to grab his haori and pull him out of danger.

Shinpachi took a deep breath and then turned his eyes to the male standing right in front of him. "Were you not warned against approaching our home?" Swallowing, he looked down at himself to make sure he was still hidden from sight.

Yasushi whipped his head around looking for the owner of the voice. Several humans pulled their swords ready to strike whoever had spoken. The man shook his head furiously at them and his eyes searched every inch of grass surrounding him.

"You were told by three of our members to keep to yourselves and if you decided against it you would be met with resistance." Shinpachi snarled softly.

"We planned to do as you suggested until you attacked our hunting party," Yasushi said the nervousness apparent in his voice when he could find no traces of the owner of the one speaking.

"Did any of them die?" Shinpachi questioned.

"No, but we should be allowed to hunt without having to worry about meeting death," Yasushi said.

"The one responsible has been dealt with. Is that not enough for you to return to your side of the mountain?" Shinpachi wanted to convince the humans to leave to prevent the loss of life that would come with fighting. Not just for the humans but the more inexperienced fighters they had in their own clan.

"I wish it were. Would you be satisfied if our places switched?" Yasushi asked.

"I urge you to move on," Shinpachi said. So far he had managed to converse with the human without being discovered, but his eyes lifted when a few of the grey cloaked figures moved in their direction.

Yasushi turned on his heel and watched as one of the priests moved up to him. Cautiously, Shinpachi stepped back and shared a glance with Kosei who was urging him to get out of there.

With one final attempt, Shinpachi said softly. "Do not surrender yourself to pointless fighting when you know there will be loss of life on both sides."

The grey cloaked figure stopped beside Yasushi and the head moved around as though searching for the voice. The human pulled the cloak from their head revealing a rather stunning human female.

Shinpachi quickly crouched in the grass and inched backward, away from her searching eyes. _'___Can she see me?'__

_'___I don't know. Best to be wary and get out of here.'__

He made his way over to his shadow guards who stood in the darkness nervously. When he stood up, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was reckless," Arisu said softly. She was one of the few guards Shinpachi had that could manipulate the shadows much like he could.

"I am aware. We will flank them. If we focus on the ones in the back, it should cause enough of a distraction that we can focus on their priests." Shinpachi pointed to where the lesser experienced humans stood. They would most likely focus on the stragglers or those who are pushed out of position while the main fighters would be facing the Crimson Sentinels head-on.

"They appear to be keeping just out of our archers range." A night watch guard stated.

Shinpachi nodded. "Koichi, I need you and Amaterasu to focus on their ranged weapons specialists. They have throwing spears that have ropes attached to them. If they get past the Sentinels they may try climbing the walls when we are too focused on the fighting."

The two moved away carefully, sticking to the shadows the tall stone wall provided. Once they vanished around the corner, Shinpachi turned to Arisu. "I would like you to find Ohira and Hanae. They should have some form of concoction that may assist us in dulling the priest's spell potency."

"It would be helpful to have the home guard here too." Another guard under Shinpachi muttered darkly.

"If they were commanded to remain at the main house, they cannot go against orders, you know that." Shinpachi snarled softly.

"Manami is here." Another guard said.

"I am aware," Shinpachi said.

"I heard from him that the twins will be joining us also." The guard stated.

"Thank the gods for that small favor."

"What twins?"

"Masakuni and Masamichi."

Shinpachi released the breath he had been holding. The last thing he wanted was to see Seiya and Seizou the twin girls who carried the soul wells and the spirits of the deceased youkai until their young came of age. Most of the clan kept their distance from the girls. They were unpredictable and those who did know them knew that they drew their power from unsavory sources.

Shinpachi glanced over his shoulder to where Seitarou stood with the Crimson Sentinels and he waved the other shadow guards off to their positions. Moving from his location, he walked in the shadows with Kosei close on his heels and approached his longtime friend.

Not sure how Seitarou always knew his presence even despite being in the shadows, the captain turned and smirked at him. "Have you come to sneak up on my men?"

Shinpachi walked out of the shadows and chuckled. "I try, but you always spoil my fun."

Seitarou turned his eyes once again to where the humans stood waiting. "What are they waiting for?"

Shinpachi shook his head. "I tried to convince that human to abandon this absurd face-off but he dismissed it."

"Unfortunate." Seitarou glanced at the ramparts that held many of their training recruits. "There will be losses on both sides."

Shinpachi sighed. "I had hoped we could avoid conflict. Trust me, I don't want my son fighting any more than you want your daughter on the field." The shadow guards' eyes wandered over to where he knew his son was hiding.

Seitarou grunted. "Well, I suppose we go meet them and see how they wish to proceed."

Shinpachi nodded and took a step but hesitated when he heard loud shouts from inside the gates. Seitarou turned and grinned suddenly when his eyes fell onto the two massive guards who approached. "Masakuni and Masamichi."

"And Kano." Shinpachi smiled knowing the other youkai with them, personally. "Oie, if he's here, that means he is pumped up for a wicked fight."

Seitarou chuckled. He waited while the two home guard captains joined them and then the five began walking towards the humans at a slow and steady pace. Kano punched Shinpachi's shoulder and grinned excitedly.

"Oie, keep your excitement to a minimum." The shadow guard hissed.

Kano snorted. "Fine, fine. I do have to admit that this is rather exciting. I want to release this newfound energy and see what it entails."

Several of the humans moved forward just as they did and they waited patiently in the middle. Shinpachi warily watched the female who stood with them, standing quietly and watching them intently. As they approached, Shinpachi whispered. "That one is a priestess."

Masakuni kept his face impassive at the news.

"I am called Yasushi." The human said when the youkai stopped in front of him.

Masakuni stepped forward, him holding the highest rank among them. "Masakuni." He said in his deep baritone voice.

"So you hold Japanese names." Yasushi stared at them as though surprised.

"We were born here, so it is a good assumption," Seitarou said.

"So I will ask you the same question I asked the one who escaped. What are you?"

"We are living creatures much like yourselves," Masakuni stated.

"Yet you are not like us." The female spoke so softly all eyes moved to hers. "You are more akin to demons than you are to humans."

"Have you encountered a demon before?" Seitarou narrowed his eyes.

"I can sense evil in you." She said.

"Yet you cannot sense evil among your own kind, how beneficial." Kano snorted, his anger growing.

Seitarou quickly added. "Both races can be good or evil, it is not for any to judge, but the Gods."

The priestess's eyes moved to his. "I would refrain from using that term. Demons do not speak with the Gods, they are there for the mortal man to converse with."

"Such as yourself?" Masamichi drew his mouth into a tight line.

"I am one who speaks on their behalf." She allowed a small sinister smile to cross her lips. "I do their bidding and they granted me powers to thwart the evil demons that have riddled upon this earth."

Shinpachi grunted. "You are not the only ones who were granted powers, young lady."

Her eyes moved to his and she frowned. "You were the one speaking earlier."

He smirked. "Does that surprise you?"

Yasushi peered at him. "You were the one who took the swords."

Shinpachi lifted a brow. "I retrieved what you took from Kazuki. Those weapons are not intended for humans."

The priestess shook her head. "You demons need to be wiped from the earth."

"Humans are the only ones who refer to our kind as such. You see, we also have our stories we tell our pups. Our stories say we are descendants of Inugami." Seitarou sighed. "We fight these demons as you do. The great raging beasts that roam, but I can see that no matter what we say, you will not believe anything other than what she tells you."

Yasushi frowned allowing the words to sink into his brain, but the priestess quickly retorted. "Do not allow them to cast whatever evil spell upon you. They are masters of manipulation and deceit."

Shinpachi narrowed his eyes. "Yasushi has an intelligent heart, he surely has a brain to make up his own mind and do critical thinking. Why must he have someone else speak for him?"

Yasushi frowned and shook his head. "This doesn't change the fact that one of yours attacked my hunting party. Whether you are good or evil doesn't matter. You also should be aware that spoils of war or any who are captured are the property of their captors. True he managed to escape, that is fair, however, we took possession of his weapons and you waltzed into my home and stole them."

"You were not even aware of what it was that you took. Had you known, you would not have left them out in the open for any of your humans to gain access to. They call them spirit weapons." Shinpachi narrowed his eyes. "That kind of power in the hands of a human would obliterate your entire settlement. More likely than not, you would have imploded."

The priestess grinned then. "You see, they possess demon weapons as well."

Seitarou rolled his eyes. "You are just fanatical about your position in life and where you stand with the Gods, your reasoning skills are sorely lacking."

Kano snorted. "I am done here. It seems as though they seek their deaths by our hands, so who are we to argue?"

Shinpachi turned to walk away but his eyes widened when he caught sight of the last person he expected to see and he gasped.

Kazuki held his breath as he watched the group approach the humans and he watched intently until he noticed Shinpachi turn and stare at the wall as though he had seen something no one else did. Turning his own gaze in that direction he hissed through his teeth when his eyes fell onto his brother Hisashi, who stood on the ramparts also staring at the humans, but with a look of so much hatred, it almost seemed as though someone else stood there and not the brother he remembered.

"What is he doing here?" Kazuki breathed.

Isami looked to his right and blinked in stunned surprise. They both stopped when Hisahi's glaring face turned to one of pure joy and excitement and he lifted his bow aiming it towards the humans.

"What is he doing?" Kazuki exclaimed causing several other archers to look at him first and then in the direction his gaze was. Everything happened in slow motion from the minute Hisashi seemed to turn his gleaming eyes to his, to the sinister sneer that crossed his lips, to the releasing of the arrow notched on his bow.

Kazuki whipped his head to follow the arrow's course, and he gulped when it struck one of the humans killing him instantly. Everyone froze and held their breaths for several long minutes before everything around them erupted in chaos.


	12. Chapter 12 Bloody Obsession

Chapter Twelve

Bloody Obsession

The distinct sound of a twang of a bow indicated that an arrow had been released. It only took Shinpachi a moment to realize that it had come from their own archers. The thud of the arrow as it hit a human was enough of an indication that they had to move. He snarled and drew his sword, just as the humans paused to stare at the dead human at their feet. Seitarou and Masakuni immediately drew their own weapons.

Masamichi snarled. "Move!"

Kano grinned as the humans recovered from their shock and Yasushi gave a loud call as their priestess instantly took her queue. "They draw first blood." She yelled above the din of humans returning their commander's war cry.

Masakuni grabbed Kano and started running, and Seitarou glanced around him trying to locate Shinpachi. A strong set of arms grabbed him and in an instant, he was blinded. All sources of light vanished but those strong arms wrapped around his shoulders and torso and he felt hot breath at his ear.

"Easy. Breath." Shinpachi whispered.

He gasped. "Shinpachi?"

"Yes. Come, let's get back to our guards. Battle has begun."

"I can't see anything." Seitarou hissed.

"I'll guide you. Come."

He felt Shinpachi's hand wrap around his arm and started pulling him in a direction, although which direction he could only speculate. His eyes were open, that much he knew, but everything was black. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint glow and he squinted. Seitarou's eyes locked onto that glow desperately.

"What is that?"

"Nothing," Shinpachi whispered. "We are almost there."

It was maybe another minute or two and then everything got brighter. Seitarou whirled around in shock and surprise and gasped as he was now surrounded by his own men, the crimson sentinels. It was his second set he stood amongst and the first was already on the field with their swords drawn.

Arrows flew from both sides and he was disoriented. Shaking his head, he turned and narrowed his eyes at the human warriors and he snarled in aggravation. "Blast it! Who fired the arrow?"

"It was Hisashi," Shinpachi said, pointing at where he had seen Hisashi.

Seitarou looked but he saw no signs of the son of Lord Okimoto. "Bloody hells!" He turned to the men who stood behind him. "Make sure nothing gets past. We protect the elders and the Shinden-zukuri at all costs."

A large swarm of silver-haired Crimson Sentinels moved to surround the elders who currently were focused on their energy. Because they had used their powers before, they were more attuned to what abilities they had and could call upon whatever new ones they had acquired, far more easily than those who had never had to use them.

Nodding satisfied, Seitarou gripped his sword tightly and made his way out to where the fighting had already begun.

Kazuki snarled in frustration. "He better hope that father doesn't find him when this is all over."

Isami snorted and drew back his bow, aiming it at a human who was trying to sneak up against the wall. Releasing the bow, the human cried out when it embedded into his neck.

Kazuki drew his own and aimed, however, he had to duck when an arrow shot right at him. Snarling and baring his teeth, Kazuki stood and fired his arrow at the archer who had almost struck him. Nodding satisfied that the human was dead when the bow flew up into the air, he aimed once again at the first human.

"They are approaching the walls!" Aori called.

Isami gasped when an arrow struck him in the shoulder and his bow dropped to the ground. Kazuki helped his brother down and glanced at the wound. Nodding to himself that it wasn't a serious wound, he handed Isami the bow. "Want me to pull it out?"

Isami snorted. "Break off the tip first. It's a barbed point."

Kazuki pulled Isami forward and gripped the shaft of the arrow in both hands and snapped the arrowhead off. Isami yanked the shaft out and glanced down at the clean hole in his shoulder. "I'm fine, make sure the humans don't get to the wall."

Kazuki nodded and stood up again to peer over the wall. He could see both sides in the middle of the field pushing against one another and then his eyes fell onto a grey-robbed figure doing something with her hands. His eyes widened when he saw a bright white-yellow ball form and then it changed to almost a deep purple.

_'___That's holy power.' __Taizo hissed.

Kazuki focused on her and drew his arm back, aiming carefully. Just as he released his arrow the priestess released her energy and it erupted amongst a few of the front Crimson Sentinels. The arrow pierced her neck and a few of the humans immediately turned to face the wall where the arrow had come from.

Gasping, Kazuki ducked behind the stone wall with eyes wide.

Isami snorted. "Nice shot." He drew his arrow and then stood to fire it at the humans who now were enraged that one of their priests were dead. "Only a dozen or so more of those."

Kazuki grinned and also stood. The rush of adrenaline flowing through him almost made this battle exciting, but he knew it was also a deadly one, his eyes falling onto the singed and charred remains of the guards the priestess had hit.

He focused his aim on another grey-clothed figure and released his arrow, but a large shield flew up and knocked his arrow to the side. Crouching, he grit his teeth in annoyance. "Well, they are now expecting our focus on them."

Isami nodded his head and glanced at a few of the archers who had taken their own injuries. A few had received mortal wounds and were dying, the ones who were injured were being tended to by Masaru, the clans' healer. Kazuki focused his eyes on the priestesses and he could hear the human who had captured him shout. "They are protecting those in the back, focus your aim."

A few of the archers moved for a better aiming stance and Kazuki shared a brief look with Isami. "They are aiming at the elders." Kazuki snarled.

A volley of arrows flew into the air and Kazuki released his own arrow, but he was powerless to stop the ones flying right for the elders and his own father. His eyes fell onto Manami who took a stance in front of the arrows and closed his eyes. Alarmed, Kazuki was about to run to help, but he gasped when the arrows hit an invisible wall. Manami's eyes flew open and flashed in anger.

_'___Oh, nice. He has ____**that**____ability from Hitomitsu.' __Taizo grinned in his head.

Kazuki lifted a brow and smiled. Once again he notched an arrow and tried to kill one of the priestesses, but they were not being heavily guarded while they used their holy powers against the guards who were fighting viciously in the front. "They are being pushed back."

Isami grunted and nodded, releasing his bow. "Those priests are killing some of our best fighters."

_'___You might be able to stall them.' __Taizo muttered quietly.

Kazuki jerked. _'___Oh?'__

_'___You have that electrical fire ability.'__

_'___You mean that solid blue ball we used against the home guard?' __Kazuki frowned and released another arrow but at a human trying to throw a spear up onto the wall.

_'___Similar, but this one I would suggest focusing through the earth.' __Taizo said.

_'___How do I do that?' __Kazuki notched another arrow and felt energy fill his veins as he watched the priests once again focus their powers. His arrow released and he paused as his spirit showed him an image of what to do and he grunted. _'___I would have to be right in the middle of them for that to work, without it injuring any of our men.'__

_'___Yes. It is risky but doable.' __Taizo said.

Kazuki furrowed his brow and allowed his eyes to roam over the dead of their people and those that the humans had. "I think I'm about to do something really stupid." He muttered quietly.

Isami glanced down at his younger brother with raised brows. "Oh?"

Kazuki took a deep breath. _'___So if I jump into the middle, I will only have seconds to release this. Doing something so risky is dangerous for both of us.'__

_'___I am aware. However, doing nothing might just mean our deaths anyway.' __Taizo uttered.

Kazuki lifted slightly to scan the best possible location to jump amongst the humans and nodded his head. He made a mental image and questioned his inner spirit about that spot and Taizo agreed. _'___We have enough energy to do this?'__

_'___Ready when you are.' __Taizo grinned. _'___Remember to release control when we get out there.'__

Kazuki nodded and stood up, dropping his bow. He climbed the ledge of the wall and launched himself into the air, aiming directly for the middle of the large group of humans who were pushing past the crimson sentinels.

"Kazuki!" Isami cried out.

Kazuki landed right behind a group of humans and landed with such force it broke the earth apart at his point of impact. As his spirit instructed, Kazuki released all control and allowed Taizo to control the flow of energy. He placed his palm on the ground just as several humans shouted and rushed at him and he felt his power explode outward.

His eyes widened when he saw his hand glow a brilliant blue and that blue soaked into the earth. Then as suddenly as it had gone into the earth it erupted up and seemed to turn into large bolts of lightning. The humans that were caught up in it immediately fell to the earth dead and those who had barely managed to escape it patted their clothing to put out the blue fire that nearly engulfed them.

The temperature from the blue flame was enough to render even his own people's bones to ashes and he gulped when his eyes fell onto the piles of ashes left behind from the humans who had gotten caught up in it.

_'___You have enough energy for one more.' __Taizo snarled.

_'___Just one?' __Kazuki gasped as his eyes fell onto the priests who now formed a tight circle with their gazes on him.

_'___Using more will kill both of us.' __Taizo said. _'___Focus.'__

_'___Better make this one count then.' __Kazuki stood and lifted his hand to the sky and was somewhat surprised when a large bolt of lightning flew from above and struck his hand.

_'___Oh, shit!' __Taizo snarled.

Startled, Kazuki pushed that energy away from his body and he was quite satisfied when it arked outward in hundreds of little bolts of energy, striking humans all around him. It was a random flow of energy and struck pretty much everything within his vicinity and he clenched his eyes shut, hoping and praying that he did not hit any of his own people.

The flow of energy ebbed and Kazuki stumbled slightly as he felt extremely drained. Gasping and lowering his arm, he glanced around at the smoldering corpses scattering the field. He stepped backward his eyes once again on the priestesses who now drew their own energy in his direction. _'___This is really going to suck.' __Kazuki said.

_'___Pretty much.' __Taizo mumbled and wrapped his remaining strength around his hosts' tree of life.

Kazuki gulped and watched as the holy power from the human priests rushed at him and he only had time to gasp when Manami appeared in front of him and closed his eyes. The holy powers impacted his invisible shield but it didn't let up. Manami gasped as all of the priests' focus was intensified to break against what he had put up to prevent their strike.

Kazuki could feel his body heat up with the priestesses attack and Manami growled planting both his feet firmly on the ground. He could tell that the flow of power from the priests were almost too much for his elder brother who was currently being pushed back against it. Manami snarled furiously and his eyes snapped open revealing blood-red orbs.

His arms felt sluggish and heavy but he somehow managed to lift them and place them against Manami's shoulders to steady him. _'___Can you add to his energy?' __Kazuki asked Taizo.

_'___You do not have a whole lot left.' __Taizo said.

_'___If Manami's shield drops we are both dead.' __Kazuki swallowed the bile that rose in his throat.

Taizo grunted. _'___Any injury to you will be a direct hit. Know that. I have to take extra energy that I placed around your tree of life.'__

_'___Understood.' __Kazuki said. _'___Do it.'__

Manami felt his brother push more energy through his shoulders and he grunted softly. "Shit, how much energy do you have, little brother?"

Kazuki ground his teeth together. "Not-much-left." He grunted brokenly.

Concern filled Manami when he could feel how much his brother was spending to keep the holy powers at bay, and his eyes widened when an arrow shot out and struck him in the shoulder. Kazuki cried out as Manami stumbled back and his shield wavered. _'___What the hell?'__

Another arrow flew out of nowhere and struck Manami again, this time in his chest and Manami's power faltered. Manami's knees buckled and he slumped against Kazuki who gripped him tightly. His eyes lifted and horrified saw yet another arrow come flying at them, but with growing dread, it had come from the wall, not from the humans.

They were immediately surrounded by the Crimson Sentinels and the arrow somehow managed to get lost in the scuffle. It didn't even register to Kazuki that it had struck him directly on the right side of his neck.

His hand lifted and his eyes widened at the flow of blood and things erupted around him. He could feel strong arms steady him and his eyes shifted to meet those of his father who looked at him with fear in his eyes. Then his world swirled into black oblivion.

Kazuki took a deep breath quite at peace with where he was, somewhere between unconsciousness and awareness. Frowning, he blinked open his eyes and his mouth dropped open at the huge nose that nudged him.

_'___Finally, you are awake.' __Taizo laid down and placed his muzzle on Kazuki's chest, firmly planting him to the watery ground he was on.

Kazuki grunted. _'___Are you going to let me sit up?'__

_'___No.' __Came the voice.

_'___Why?'__

_'___You need to regenerate your energy and remain here while you heal.'__

_'___Oh.' __Kazuki swallowed and shifted his head to stare at whatever else was on his left. _'___Hey, did you see where that arrow had come from?'__

_'___From the ramparts.' __Taizo said.

_'___Why would the archers' fire at us?'__

_'___The archers didn't.' __Taizo muttered closing his eyes.

_'___Who then?' __Kazuki felt his blood run cold. _'___Did the humans somehow manage to get up onto the wall?'__

_'___No.' __Taizo said sleepily.

_'___Oie, are you falling asleep?'__

_'___Mhmm.' __Taizo grunted. _'___Shh.'__

Kazuki sighed but he was somewhat startled when he felt a new flow of something that he could only describe as rejuvenation. His eyes slipped closed and he breathed a relaxed breath.

Okimoto crouched beside his sons and immediately was surrounded by the crimson sentinels on the battlefield. His heart sank when Kazuki fell limp in his arms, and he saw Masaru run towards him. Frantically searching for a pulse on both his sons' necks, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Seitarou bent to one knee and inspected the wounds. "They are alive."

Okimoto nodded his head. "What were they thinking?"

Masaru dropped to the ground and started focusing his attention on the two laying there. "We need to get them behind the walls."

"The humans are retreating." A guard shouted.

Seitarou stood. "Chase them down!" He commanded. "Lord Okimoto, take your sons and get off the field."

Okimoto lifted Kazuki into his arms and was escorted off the field by both Masakuni and Masamichi who carried Manami. Once inside the gates, Isami jumped off the ramparts and ran up to their father.

"Those arrows came from the ramparts."

Okimoto narrowed his eyes. "Explain!" He snarled.

Isami shook his head. "I can't. I saw the direction they came from only."

Masamichi gave Manami to his elder brother and waved him off. "I will catch up." He placed his hand on Isami's shoulder stopping him from following. "Tell me what you saw."

Isami's eyes followed the path their father had gone and gulped. "Will they live?"

Masamichi sighed. "They are alive. Lord Isami, I need you to tell me what you saw."

Isami nodded and sighed. "All I saw were arrows flying and two aimed directly at my brother's from the top of the ramparts, there." He pointed to where he had seen the arrows come from.

Masamichi narrowed his eyes and lept up to the platform. He strode along it, glancing at all the archers who were still alive and hunched behind the protective stonework. Because the humans had retreated, they were now resting and focusing on keeping their energy levels up. He walked to the far corner of the walls and peered down at the discarded bow and set of arrows that sat there. Looking around, he saw no signs of the owner.

Lifting the bow, he fingered it and was somewhat surprised about its care. Whoever owned this bow, they would not have discarded it so easily, unless they were trying to hide their intent. He crouched down and sniffed the ground, seeing no other archers in that particular area and he frowned at what scent he discovered. Lifting his gaze over the ledge, he could see a direct path to where the elders had been and where Kazuki and Manami had been hit.

_'___Can you open a link with my brother?' __He silently asked his spirit.

_'___Did you need me to?' __Asao asked.

_'___Yes.' __Masamichi felt the pin drop that placed certain barriers in place and he felt the rush of emotions. _'___Not like you to hold so much worry.'__

_'___Hells, where did you come from?' __Masakuni snorted.

_'___In your head. It might do you good to come to my location. We have an urgent matter that needs addressing.'__

_'___You discovered who fired.' __Came the statement.

_'___I have.'__

_'___Who?'__

_'___It is better if you come see for yourself.' __Masamichi grunted.

_'___I am on my way.'__

Masamichi put the bow back onto the ground and placed his arms on his bent knees. He felt a presence behind him and he instantly rolled forward just missing having his head sliced off and his eyes lifted to the one responsible. Bracing himself, he dove to the side and avoided another strike.

It was everything he could do to avoid getting sliced to pieces by those fast precise strikes and he snarled pulling his sword from his scabbard. He grunted against the solid tackle and he rolled to fall onto his back. The hilt of the weapon cracked him in the side of his temple and his eyes closed instinctively but the second hit never came and the weight off him lifted.

"Hisashi! Stand down!" Masakuni snarled fiercely.

Masamichi pushed to his feet and breathed a sigh of relief at the quick approach of his brother.

Masakuni glanced over his shoulder. "I felt all that, thank you. Next time close the blasted link."

Masamichi gave his brother an apologetic look. "Blame him." He tapped his head with a chuckle.

Masakuni rushed forward and tackled Hisashi when he raised his sword to attack anything, and Masamichi knocked the weapon out of his hands. Pinning the male to the ground, Masamichi watched his twin wrap a thick cord around his wrists behind his back and then yanked him upright. "What were you thinking?" He snarled into Hisashi's face.

Hisashi grinned. "What you all should have done."

Masamichi made a fist and smashed it into the males face knocking him out cold.

Masakuni lifted a brow at his brother. "Aw, now we will not be able to listen to more."

"Stop pouting. We take him before Lord Okimoto and Lord Genjiro to answer for his betrayal."

"Better bind his feet too." Masakuni took out more rope and wrapped it around the males' legs, tying tightly.

They hauled him up and dragged his unconscious body to the stairs leading down from the ramparts. The twins kept to the darker parts of the gates to avoid questions and stares and walked behind most of the huts until they came to the hut occupied by Masaru and his healing patients.

Lord Okimoto stood the minute Masamichi and Masakuni entered the hut and his eyes fell onto yet another of his sons who was injured. He released a soft moan of dismay.

"This isn't what you think," Masakuni growled throwing Hisashi to the floor.

Masamichi nodded his head and exited. "I must go check on the royal family."

Okimoto glanced down at Hisashi and then lifted questioning eyes to the home guard. "Tell me."

Masakuni waved his hand at the unconscious body of Hisashi. "He was the one who fired the arrows at both your sons." He handed the bow over to Okimoto who held it as though he had never seen one before.

Okimoto looked up his emotions clearly written on his face. "But-why?" He said barely above a whisper.

Masakuni had lived a long time but to see that emotion and feel it from an elder that had him beat by at least four hundred years, his heart twitched. "That is something you will have to ask him." He whispered.

Okimoto's eyes fell to his son Hisashi and then roamed over the unconscious forms of his eldest Manami and then his youngest Kazuki. "He has shamed my family beyond repair." He said next and his eyes grew hard and flashed with anger. "Take him."

Masakuni sighed but nodded. Hefting Hisashi over his shoulder, he was not at all surprised when Okimoto turned away having washed his hands of his second born. "If this is any comfort, justice will be swift."

Okimoto looked at him and smiled gratefully. "What do I tell my sons when they wake?"

"The truth. It will do more harm to keep it from them." Masakuni said as he walked out of the hut.

Just under his breath, he muttered. "What do I tell my mate?" Okimoto shuddered at the thought. Chuya would be furious and hers was one not to trifle with. She would also be heartbroken at her second borns betrayal and demand answers. How had they not seen this coming?

With a heavy sigh, Okimoto knelt down beside his eldest son's bedroll and stared down into the pale unconscious face. If he were to lose his eldest son, one he had trained to take over after he had passed on, he would be lost. Shaking his head, Okimoto knew that he had spent hundreds of years training Manami and Hisashi both the same to take over the family line should he or Manami were to die and now that duty sat upon Manami's shoulders, but if he didn't recover from his injuries Kihachi would be the one to continue the tradition.

Kihachi was young and still training to be a successful guard and true he didn't take things for granted. Okimoto was extremely proud of his middle sons' progress and he had been even more so when Kihachi had been recruited into one of the more difficult sections. The fact that Kihachi had even been considered for that position made him smile. The Crimson Sentinels was extremely difficult to get into, only ever being looked at if one had surpassed all other training, and for most, it took hundreds of years to achieve, the fact that Kihachi had done all that in his short life made him smile even more.

Isami was a bit more of a fireball, reckless and sometimes didn't think his actions through before jumping in head first, and Okimoto had firmly believed that he would have been the first to fall in battle. His eyes fell to his youngest son, Kazuki. It seemed as though his youngest was following Isami's path of recklessness and he would need to curb the youth before he found an untimely demise without having fully lived just yet.

His heart had stopped when Kazuki had jumped off the ramparts directly into the middle of the humans but his mouth had dropped open when his son had called upon abilities that no one else had even trained or had access to. With a faint smile, he wondered if somehow his own father's inner spirit that now resided in his youngest son had not had its powers locked away after the youkai battle that had taken his father's life.

Shaking his head, Kazuki was an anomaly. He showed restraint and yet jumped into battle as though nothing frightened him. The thinking capabilities on his youngest stunned even him and it was as though Kazuki forgot nothing. His son could recall conversations or things he read as though he had just heard or read them. Kazuki could recite scrolls he had read as a youth like it was sitting in front of him.

Kazuki was a quick study, fast, precise and strong. That had been one of the reasons why he trained his youngest as hard as he did. The fact that he had placed Kazuki in the guard three years before he had his other sons was enough to account for his youngest son's progress. He gave credit to the spirit his son had acquired for sure, but his young son was remarkably brilliant.

Giving another heavy sigh, he realized that he might lose his eldest son and his youngest son to his second borns treachery. He punched his leg in frustration. How would he get through it? How would his mate handle the news? She would be angry, filled with guilt and despair. The grief would most likely consume her and it was quite possible that Chuya would fade and die from the misery.

Okimoto was left with a great heartache. If he lost two sons they could possibly manage, if they lost three it would prove to be almost too great a loss. The fact that he had already sentenced one caused his heart to tighten in grief. He twitched when his eyes focused on another set of gold ones watching him. With a gasp, he leaned over his eldest son. "Manami!"

His eldest son nodded and closed his eyes with a sigh. "I can feel the grief in you. Tell me."

Okimoto shook his head. "It can wait until you have healed."

"Who did we lose?" Manami wheezed out.

"We almost lost you and Kazuki." Okimoto breathed.

Manami tried to sit up but gasped as his injury pulled and Okimoto placed his hands on his shoulders. "Stay put. You have a hole in your chest."

"Kazuki?" Manami looked first to his left then to his right and his eyes fell onto his younger brothers still form.

"He is alive. He got lucky." Okimoto glanced over his shoulder. "You both did."

"So why do you grieve?" Manami groaned out.

Okimoto closed his eyes and sighed. "I grieve for the loss of a son who has betrayed our family."

Manami stared long and hard at his father's emotional face. "Hisashi." He whispered his heart tightening at the thought.

Okimoto nodded.

"Is he dead?"

"No."

"He is to be judged then," Manami grunted and pushed himself up slowly.

"He has been taken to Lord Genjiro to answer for his betrayal." Okimoto pinched the bridge of his nose. Why had he been at all surprised at the stubbornness of Manami when he watched him reach for his haori.

"Tell me," Manami said firmly as he pulled his haori over his shoulders.

"He tried to kill you and Kazuki." Okimoto breathed which caused Manami to freeze and stare at his father in shock.

Manami winced. "Why?"

Okimoto shook his head. "I do not know."

Manami paused and furrowed his brow deep in thought. "I think I know, but I will go speak with him."

"You will not be allowed to, you know that. He is under heavy guard and will not be allowed to speak with anyone." Okimoto growled.

"I have to find out why, father." Manami pushed to his feet. He stopped and stared down at his younger brother's face. The white linen bandage around his neck stood in stark contrast with the blood that seeped through it. "His neck was pierced?"

"Yes."

"Will he live?" Manami asked before he grabbed his sword.

"He is alive right now, for how long, that is up to him and the strength of his inner spirit. Kazuki used a lot of energy to get the humans to retreat." Okimoto made fists with his hands in frustration. "You are still not out of the woods. I would be more at ease should you rest and regain your own before trying to go see Hisashi."

Manami shook his head. "If he has betrayed the clan, he will be dealt with swiftly. I may lose whatever chance to speak with him if I wait. I have survived worse wounds, father."

Okimoto growled softly.

"He is my brother," Manami said.

"I no longer consider him my son." Okimoto got to his feet angrily.

Manami blinked at his father for a moment. He didn't blame his father for disowning Hisashi, if he didn't like the answer his brother gave him, he might feel the same. Shaking his head, he left the healers hut and headed towards the main house of the royal family.


	13. Chapter 13 The Shattered Soul

Chapter Thirteen

The Shattered Soul

He had no idea how he was able to convince the guards to allow him entrance to the cells below the main house, but Manami thanked whatever God listened. Manami was led down the damp dark and cold stone caves until they rounded a corner that sat in the deepest parts of the cell block.

Large iron gates covered the entrance and his ears could pick up the constant drip of water that seeped through the earth into the complex stonework that made up the prisoner cells. He wrapped his arms around his arms and leaned against the stone beside his brothers' cage.

Manami heard Hisashi snort in aggravation. "Have you come to set me free, __brother __?" That word was filled with so much contempt, Manami almost didn't believe that it was Hisashi inside the locked cell.

"You know I haven't," Manami said, lifted his gaze to stare at the opposite wall. "Tell me why you did it."

"You know why." Hisashi spat out.

"I wouldn't be asking if I did." Manami closed his eyes, his heart heavy.

"You wouldn't know what it was like growing up constantly in your shadow. Being overlooked by everyone because your oh so great brother could never do wrong. You sit back and let decisions be made that you should have a say in, and even accept that that pathetic fool, Kazuki gets grandfathers greater spirit when it should have gone to you." Hisashi snarled, his anger renewing with his thoughts. "Even after I worked hard to perfect my skills and abilities I still wasn't noticed or seen."

Manami frowned. "So this was done out of jealousy?" He couldn't believe it.

Hisashi barked out his laughter. "Oh, you wish that was all. It would make you happy, wouldn't it?"

"None of this makes me happy," Manami said.

"You are a fool, Manami. If you think that with my disgrace from the family or the battle with the humans is the end of it, you are sorely mistaken. Things were only being set in motion for something far greater than even the elders know about!" Hisashi laughed maniacally.

"What did you do?" Manami dropped his arms and frowned.

"Oh, it wasn't what __**I**__did," Hisashi muttered. "Too bad I won't be around to witness the fall of the great clan. It is such a shame that we are led by a weak leader and not one that holds great strength. See, had I been successful, I would have killed you, and our youngest brother and gained his inner spirit. With that power, I could have killed Lord Genjiro and taken over the clan. See, I had gotten so close to him, that it would be so easy to take his life and to my great delight I cast doubt upon you in the process and now you are disgraced."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Hisashi, but Lord Genjiro already came to the conclusion that you had cast doubt upon me. See, he recalled hearing about these rumors from you. Your plans have been foiled, and now you will suffer the consequences for your actions." Manami closed his eyes and shook his head. "Thinking that Kazuki's inner spirit would have gone to you, that is where you are delusional. See, grandfather's spirit, being an ancient one, chooses who it will reside in. It would have died with Kazuki, not passed to you. I have no idea what gave you the thought that you would inherit it, but we were not meant to house that spirit or control those abilities."

"Kazuki." Hisashi sneered with a scoff. "I have a little secret for you." The voice got closer to the gates and Manami turned his head slightly. "See, Kazuki will be responsible for your downfall. Our little brother is going to be the one who will destroy the family. He takes your life, Manami."

Manami felt his heart twitch and his breath slowed so that he didn't give away his shock. "I am uncertain where you heard such ridiculous fabrications, but Kazuki doesn't have a deceitful heart like you, Hisashi."

Hisashi laughed. "You are a fool to believe that. I would keep my darling son and mate close, brother. I have cast doubt into your heart and now you will constantly be on guard and pull away from your dear little brother. My job is done."

Manami swallowed. "You were not the mastermind behind all this, tell me who." He demanded.

"Sorry, brother. That I cannot do. I was only supposed to get Lord Genjiro and Lord Chijimatsu up onto that mountain to release that malevolent shade from the spirit realm. Nothing can stop what is now in motion. I have succeeded in my role and now it is up to the others to finish it." Hisashi barked out in vicious laughter.

Manami snarled sharply but he saw several guards begin walking in their direction.

"Stay true to your heart, dead brother. Even the slightest hint of doubt will infect and taint your morals." Hisashi snorted. "My only regret is that I could not succeed in taking your life and being the one to comfort your grieving mate."

Manami's eyes widened and he whipped around, gripping the bars on his brothers' cell. "You are lucky father heard nothing of your plans. Disowning you is one thing, had he heard this, he would have killed you himself."

Hisashi grinned widely. "And that would have condemned father with that same taint and blackness."

Manami shook his head and stepped back while the guards prepared to enter the cell. He stood back and watched as the guards shackled Hisashi and forcefully dragged him away. Swallowing, Manami slowly turned and walked down the long halls headed towards the chambers that were occupied by Lord Genjiro and his mate, Princess Haruki. Knowing that they would be heavily protected by the only two guards he trusted with his own life, Masakuni and Masamichi, Manami slipped down the dark corridor and through the hidden doorway that led to the royal chambers.

As he came around the corner, two large guards barreled over him but the shadows stepped back once Manami came into sight. Shaking his head, he gave a weak grin.

"Are they seeing anyone?" Manami asked quietly.

Masakuni nodded his head and opened the door slightly to allow him to slip through. "They are expecting you." He whispered.

With a heavy sigh, Manami drifted through the door easily and it shut with a loud boom behind him. Walking down the long and wide hall he approached Lord Genjiro and Princess Haruki silently and knelt down lowering his head to the floor.

"Get up, Manami." Lord Genjiro muttered. "No ceremony is needed on this grievous day."

Manami sat up but remained in the respectful kneeling position. "Hisashi was not the mastermind behind all this."

Lord Genjiro leaned on the arm of his chair. "I gathered as much."

Princess Haruki sat elegantly in her own chair watching him intently. Her long silver hair was bound up in many intricate folds and pins and the watchful gold eyes held a slight humor in them. Her facial markings were a faded yellow with hints of orange giving off an almost sunset hue. Her whole body seemed to give off a slight white hue almost an ethereal glow that any who saw her might mistake her as a Goddess.

Tearing his eyes from the beautiful Princess, Manami gulped and moved his eyes to Lord Genjiro who chuckled softly. Very few were granted permission to have full view of the Princess and those who did look at her had the very same look as Manami did. It wasn't only the first time she stole people's breath, she did it so frequently, it was almost second nature now.

"So what did your brother have to say for himself?" Lord Genjiro asked.

Manami shook his head. "Not much that is useful. He stated he was meant to lure you and your son to the mountains to release that evil spirit that has descended upon Kyūshū."

Lord Genjiro frowned. "I see. Since that trip, I have felt out of sorts, and even my son has felt different."

Manami frowned. "We should gather your advisors and discuss this, milord."

"I agree. Lord Hisashi's sentence will be carried out by nightfall. He can no longer be trusted to remain among the clan, least of all protecting my family." Lord Genjiro stood up and walked down the three steps and stopped in front of Manami. "The humans?"

"They have retreated for the moment." Manami cleared his throat slightly uncomfortable.

"I suggest getting rest and having your injuries tended to. You are bleeding all over my floor." Lord Genjiro smirked. "Have a few keep watch on the ramparts for signs of the humans and rest. I expect you to be fully available for your duties by the end of the week."

Manami nodded. "My duties are the same as before Hisashi placed doubt upon my person?"

"They are. You have kept our son safe from harm since he was a small pup. Your duties have not changed. All doubts I had on your character have been wiped clean since your brothers betrayal was made known. You are now fully reinstated." Lord Genjiro accepted Manami's final bow and watched him walk out of the great halls. His eyes turned to his mates and he gave her a smile. "Are you satisfied?"

Princess Haruki nodded and got to her feet. "I told you he was true of heart. Perhaps you will heed my other words of advice."

Genjiro sighed and nodded his head. "Indeed. I will set up a meeting with my advisors and locate the historian for knowledge. I would like Lord Okimoto to be included in this discussion."

Princess Haruki paused for a moment before she slipped through the curtain that led to their royal chambers. "The other elders will have to be called also. If you see Lady Chinami, will you send her to me?"

Genjiro smiled at his beautiful mate and gave her an elegant bow. "Yes, milady."

Manami slipped through the large doors and slide down the stone wall with a sigh of relief. Masakuni and Masamichi smirked. "We received the news before you did."

"Which?"

"That you were cleared of all suspicion."

Manami placed his head on his knees and tried to steady his frantically beating heart. He hoped that no more rumors surfaced. Hisashi had done enough damage to his character and he would need to be extra diligent to ensure that he was fully recognized by Lord Genjiro. His chest had begun to ache and throb uncomfortably and he pushed to his feet. "I am returning to Masaru. Kazuki was still out when I left."

Masakuni gripped his shoulder. "We will ensure the royal family is safe until you return to duty. Be at ease, Manami."

Before Manami left he turned to Masamichi. "Do you still have access to the scroll chambers?"

Masamichi lifted a brow curiously but nodded his head. "I do."

"Can you find me a scroll on the spirit realm?" Manami muttered quietly.

"The spirit realm?"

"It is something Hisashi said before the guards took him for preparation for his official dismissal. It has been bothering me." Manami said.

"You do know that Hisashi will not be dismissed in the sense you are referring to?" Masakuni stated.

Manami flinched but nodded. "I know. Without the support of the family and his disgrace, I know he is doomed." With a heavy heart, he left and headed to the healers' hut where his father and Kazuki were.

_'___Why do you feel so guilty?' __Nari asked curiously. _'___You had nothing to do with your brothers' betrayal.'__

Manami took a deep breath and winced slightly as it pulled at the healing wound in his chest. _'___It hurts knowing that I might have been able to prevent this. If I had seen the signs.'__

_'___There were no signs, Manami.' __Nari said. _'___He lost his way and strove for perfection. He felt slighted and ignored, humiliated and abolished. You had nothing to do with that other than being the firstborn in a high ranking family. Do not allow his words to darken your heart.'__

Manami nodded and grunted. _'___I just can't believe that he would try to manipulate my thinking into doubting Kazuki. Out of all my siblings, he is the most intelligent.' __

Nari chuckled. _'___What Hisashi said is worrisome, but focus on finding the real culprits behind this conspiracy. Whoever they are, they are the real threat.' __

_'___Indeed.' __Manami slipped through the curtain leading into the healers' hut and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Kazuki awake. Nanako and Reizo were softly talking with his father, and he grinned.

_'___Ooo.' __Nari grinned himself at the sight of Manami's mate.

_'___Behave yourself.' __Manami snorted.

Nanako turned to look and she sighed softly. "Goodness, when we came to check on you, and you were not here, I got worried." She pushed to her feet and walked over to him.

"Were you now?" Manami smiled and pulled her into his arms. He lowered his nose to her neck and breathed in deeply. He sighed when her familiar scent of water lilies and jasmine filled his nose. "There were a few things I needed to take care of."

Nanako pulled back and looked up at him. "Did you find the answers you were seeking?"

Manami shook his head and sat down on the bedroll that was still in place for him. Reizo walked over, his hand in Lord Okimoto's and Manami smiled. "Hey, pup."

"Hi, papa," Reizo whispered his eyes downcast.

"Come here." Manami waved his hand and Reizo walked over slowly. "What's wrong?"

Reizo shook his head.

Nanako rolled her eyes. "He knows he is in trouble. Reizo doesn't want to tell you because he knows you will grow angry."

Manami raised a brow and looked at his son who was avoiding all eye contact. "Oh? What did you do to anger your mother so?"

Reizo pouted. "I was bad."

Manami waited and shared a secret smile with his mate.

When Manami didn't say anything, Reizo continued. "I snuck out of the caves while mama wasn't looking."

"Did you? Can you tell me why?" Manami swallowed. Luckily, Manami knew that the caverns had been enough of a distance away from the battle that his young son should not have seen any bloodshed. The fear of his son placing himself in danger, however, was concerning.

"I wanted to see you fight," Reizo whispered, wringing his hands.

Manami clenched his teeth as he waited.

"I'm sorry, father," Reizo said softly, tears filling his eyes.

"Don't apologize to me. It is your mother, you need to say that to." Manami wrinkled his nose.

Reizo got up and walked to his mother and wrapped his arms around her knees, sobbing into her kimono. Nanako bent down and wrapped her arms around him and whispered softly into his ears. Manami snorted and heard Kazuki shift on his bedroll.

Okimoto instantly moved to his youngest son's side and knelt down. "Don't get up." He said when Kazuki tried to push into a sitting position.

Kazuki grunted and waved his hand. Instead of listening to his father, he sat up. "I'm fine." His eyes met Manami's and they furrowed in concern. "What happened?"

Manami shook his head and he glanced at his mate and pup. "Nana, could you give us a few minutes?"

Nanako nodded and picked Reizo up carrying him out of the hut. "I will return later." She said as the curtain fell over the door.

Manami then made himself more comfortable and cleared his throat. "I spoke with Lord Genjiro."

Okimoto watched the emotions on Manami's face carefully. "What did Hisashi have to say for himself?" He could care less what Lord Genjiro had to say, he wanted to know why his second-born betrayed their family and brought dishonor to them.

Manami sighed. "He did not say much. As for the reason behind his betrayal-"

Kazuki's head snapped to them. "Wait! What?"

Okimoto placed his hand on Kazuki's shoulder. "We will fill you in. Now shush."

Kazuki pressed his lips together tightly.

"As I was saying, Hisashi stated he tried to kill me because he was tired of living in my shadow. He tried to kill Kazuki because he wanted to take possession of his inner spirit."

Okimoto felt a growl rise in his throat.

"With his thinking, he should have had enough power to kill Lord Genjiro and take over the clan."

"Foolishness." Okimoto snapped.

Manami nodded his head. "I did not inform Lord Genjiro of all this, I felt it was better kept within the family. However, I did mention that Hisashi was not the mastermind behind all this, which he isn't. There is someone else playing a little game in the shadows."

Okimoto nodded his head and clenched his teeth together. "Go on."

"According to Hisashi, he was only supposed to lead Lord Genjiro and Lord Chijimatsu up onto the mountain to release this entity from some spirit realm. I have no idea what that is though." Manami confessed. "He took it further and made up this fantastical reality on where he saw himself leading the clan to greatness. Hisashi was also the one responsible for the rumors that had surfaced in regards to my loyalties."

Okimoto punched his leg and released a loud angry snarl.

Kazuki gulped as he looked from his father to his older brother. "So what happens to him?"

"What do you think?" Manami sighed. "He will be condemned to death. His betrayal is too great for him to be left alive."

Kazuki closed his eyes. "But-"

Okimoto firmly shook his head. "There is nothing more that can be said. Kazuki, you know this. Trying to take yours and Manami's life is enough for him to be shunned from the family, but plotting to kill our Lord and master is a sentence of death."

Kazuki nodded his head but it still hurt knowing that one of his brothers was no longer going to be around. Sure he had never been close to Hisashi, but he was still blood. He swallowed. "It still hurts." He whispered.

Manami nodded in agreement. Okimoto rolled his eyes. "You both are too soft-hearted."

They weren't sure how much time had passed but three home guards entered the healers' hut all heavily armed and waited patiently for any signs they had been noticed. Kazuki was the first to nudge his nose in the direction of the door and Okimoto got to his feet with a sigh.

"Is it time?" He whispered brokenly.

Their eyes turned to Manami and he cleared his throat. "There is a complication."

Manami shared a brief look with Kazuki before he slowly got to his feet. Masaru had rebound his injury, but the herb he had rubbed on it to ease the discomfort did little. "What happened?"

"I am uncertain if this is something you need to see, but there is no other option, Lord Manami." The guard shifted uncomfortably.

"Spit it out already." Manami snapped.

"Lord Hisashi has been murdered." Another guard filled in and Okimoto frowned.

"How?"

"We are not certain." The first guard stated. "If you both would come with us."

Kazuki struggled to his feet and waved off Masaru's hands when they went to stop him. "I am going too."

Okimoto lifted a brow at his youngest. "Kazuki, it is unwise for you to see something like this."

"Seriously?" Kazuki growled. "You put me in the guard to defend those who are weaker, and yet you don't wish for me to see a little blood? Don't be ridiculous. This is my brother we are talking about."

Manami shook his head at his father when he made to protest. "He isn't wrong, father."

Okimoto nodded. "Very well. Take us to the spot."

The three guards looked over the family for a moment before they led them to the lower caves where the cells were. Somewhat surprised, Manami glanced around at the very halls he had been in only hours ago. "I thought they took him to be prepared to have his sentence announced by Lord Genjiro."

"They did, lord. They brought him back here until Lord Genjiro was ready for him."

"He did not make it out of his cell." Another guard said.

Kazuki gave an impulsive shudder when they rounded a corner and the strong scent of iron filled his nose. Manami swallowed and wiggled his nose at the smell. Okimoto was the first to approach the iron bars and he let out a mournful moan of dismay. Manami was next and he gasped. "How-?"

Kazuki's eyes fell onto the mangled body of his brother and he felt his knees grow weak, as though they had suddenly turned to water. He reached out for the stone walls to steady himself as his golden gaze swept over the twisted and disfigured remains of Hisashi.

Manami turned glinting eyes to the three guards. "Who had access to the cells?" He snapped.

"Only the home guard, lord." The first guard swallowed nervously.

"Ridiculous." Okimoto snarled.

"It's true, Lord Okimoto. Captain Hidemi escorted him back personally and ensured that he would not escape his shackles." The second guard said.

"He was left unguarded?" Kazuki furrowed his brow. "For what reason?"

Their eyes turned to his surprised and then glanced at Okimoto and Manami. "Who?"

"This is Lord Kazuki, my son, surely you are not that dense to have not heard that conversation when we were in Masaru's hut." Okimoto snapped.

Their mouths dropped open and then they nodded quickly. "Everyone knew of Lord Hisashi's manipulative skills at artful speech. No one wanted to be within hearing range incase he tried his obsequious tactics on us."

"So there was a guard posted outside?" Kazuki bent down and looked at the undisturbed cage and seemingly immaculate interior. Besides the scratch marks on the floor where Hisashi apparently clawed to escape his attacker, everything inside was left intact. His brother's body was hacked by what seemed to be a long sword, with long gashes covering almost every part of his carcass. Blood splatter covered the floor of the cell and soaked into the dirt and had sprayed onto the walls. "Has anyone been inside the cell since you discovered him?"

The guards glanced at one another but they all shook their heads when Kazuki looked up at them. "No, lord."

Kazuki stood up carefully as a wave of dizziness came over him. "I would like to speak with the guard who was stationed outside the cells, and Captain Hidemi. They may have seen something without realizing it."

Okimoto and Manami lifted their brows curiously. They both knew that Kazuki was quick of wit and surprisingly perceptive, but also rather shy, so this whole thing was a surprise.

Kazuki regained his equilibrium before he glanced back at the cell. "Station someone you trust here and do not allow anyone to enter until I return." He muttered quietly, a faint flush covering his face.

Manami smirked. "Has Lord Genjiro been informed?"

The guards turned to him. "Yes, he called for you immediately."

"Inform him that we are looking into this crime and we will notify him as soon as we discover something." Manami nodded. "Have Masamichi and Masakuni watch over the royal family. No one else."

"Yes, Lord." They bowed to him and only one remained behind to guard the cell. The other two instantly left to advise their lord and master.

Kazuki followed down the long halls and he blinked in stunned amazement at the large whitewashed walls of the royal house. It was lavishly filled with vibrant plants and flowers, and the benches were stationed at various pools that were used for the royals' pleasure. There were guards posted at every entrance to the room, and when they exited the dark caverns, all eyes immediately turned to them and then snapped back to attention when they noticed who came out.

Manami led the way through one of the doors towards the guards' house that sat opposite the pools. He nodded his head to a few of the guards who opened the doors at his approach and inside were at least a dozen more. A tall silver-haired male approached them and bowed. "Lord Okimoto," The male said. "I was not expecting you."

"It is naught, Hidemi." Okimoto glanced around the room taking in all the readying males who were getting set for their watch.

"How is your injury, Manami?" Hidemi asked as his eyes fell onto Kazuki who was also looking around. "Who are you?"

Manami smiled. "This is Lord Kazuki, Lord Okimoto's youngest son."

Hidemi raised a brow at Manami. "Just how many brothers do you have?"

"Enough." Okimoto snarled softly. "My son wishes to ask a few questions in regards to Hisashi's murder."

Hidemi nodded somewhat surprised. "Of course. Let's go to my office." He led them to the end of the guard room and entered another door that was simply furnished. In the middle of the room was a straw mat with a small table set off to the side. A few pillows were piled neatly against a far wall, and a stand holding a single candle that was lit. "First allow me to express my condolences to the death of your son."

Okimoto grunted. "His betrayal has shamed my family."

Hidemi nodded his head. "Forgive my bluntness, but he dishonored himself. I do not understand, nor wish to comprehend why he would do such a disgraceful maneuver."

Manami cleared his throat. "Lord Kazuki wishes to ask a few questions leading up to his return to the cells."

Kazuki turned his gaze to the captain after having scanned the room with his eyes. "Did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you were escorting Hisashi back to his cell?"

Hidemi frowned. "Such as?"

"Anyone giving too much attention to the route you took? Anyone following you?" Kazuki iterated.

"Not that I noticed, no. His cell was untouched, the halls were clear, and there was no indication that I was followed." Hidemi nodded in understanding.

"Has anyone recently been to the Shinden-zukuri who wasn't here previously? Maybe showed up in the last week, unannounced?"

Hidemi shook his head not really sure what Kazuki was implying.

"So if no one arrived or had the knowledge that Hisashi would be caught, it is someone who resides at the Shinden-zukuri. Someone who can move about without causing suspicion." Kazuki lowered his eyes thinking intently.

"You are suggesting that someone in the home guard did this?" Hidemi felt his mouth turn downward. "I can assure you-"

"Can you? If no one arrived unannounced, and no one was permitted to approach Hisashi's cell, how can you assure me that it isn't someone from within our own home?" Kazuki looked up. "Has anyone visited Hisashi since his arrest?"

Manami nodded. "I saw him earlier. I did speak with him briefly before the guards came to collect him for his sentence."

"So he was still alive when you left?" Kazuki nodded. "What time was that?"

"Several hours after the humans retreated. I spoke with him for maybe twenty minutes before the guards came. Then he was led away." Manami rubbed his chin in thought.

"So this happened within the last few hours. Who else had access to the cells?" Kazuki asked curiously, his eyes moving to Hidemi's.

"Everyone in the home guard who is on watch." Hidemi stood up and pulled a large scroll from the shelf. "Daiju, Ippei, Jūkichi, Mareo, and Ryūta were in charge of patrol. Would you like me to call them in?"

Kazuki shook his head. "I will speak with them after I get a look inside the cell."

Hidemi smiled and nodded. "I will have Takahiro take you."

They all stood up and Hidemi walked out of the office closing the door behind him. "Location of Takahiro?" he stated to no one in particular.

"He is on watch at the weapons room."

"This way." Hidemi led them out of the guard room and down a long stretch of hallways turning left and right several times before they came to a single sentry watching two large bronze washed doors. "Takahiro." He called.

The guard turned and walked over to them. His eyes remained scanning the dark areas of the room for someone trying to sneak in, but he had his full attention on what the captain said.

"I will have someone to replace you. I need you to escort Lords Okimoto, Manami, and Kazuki to Hisashi's cell." Hidemi waved his hand. "They are looking into his death and I need you to ensure they have no interruptions."

Takahiro, a short stout male with long grey-silver hair nodded his head and left Hidemi alone in the room. Leading the way back the way they had come, Kazuki kept a watchful gaze on everything he saw. They were soon standing at the doors that led into the caverns and Kazuki shivered from the slight damp that seeped into his skin the minute the doors opened.

Takahiro shouted a cry of alarm when his eyes fell onto the guard who had been left posted at the cell. His body crumpled and contorted in such a manner that he had been grabbed from inside the cell and pulled into the hardened steel. His spine which had been ripped out was inside the cell and the remains left outside. Hisashi's body was gone, and the gate wide open.


End file.
